10 Toothbrush Mistakes – and How to Fix Them

A beautiful smile is one of the most attractive traits that comes with healthier teeth and gums. But what can destroy your teeth? Poor dental hygiene habits. And guess what? Very few of us know how to brush our teeth properly without harming them. 

Keeping your teeth healthy requires good dental hygiene that starts at home and regular visits to the dentist.

Brushing teeth twice a day might not be enough to keep your mouth and teeth clean and healthy, especially if you are making these mistakes. Here are some of the common mistakes that can ruin your oral health. 

Picking The Wrong Toothbrush

• While choosing a toothbrush from a local supermarket, make sure to choose the brush that reaches the gaps of your teeth and covers the places that need covering.
• You should be able to reach everywhere in the mouth with a toothbrush to properly clean the pieces of food stuck in those areas.
• The bristles need to be soft and flexible so that they can bend and be able to get under the gum to clean the inner corners of the mouth.

Rushing While Brushing Teeth

• Most people do not consider brushing teeth an important part of their daily routine, and they just do it because they have to. But not brushing your teeth properly is equal to not brushing at all.
• You must brush at least two times, one in the morning before going to school, college, or the office and at night before going to bed, and most people cut it down short.
• Brushing shorter than 2 minutes doesn’t give enough time for fluoride in your toothpaste to attach to the enamel in your tooth.

Brushing For Too Long

• Brushing properly doesn’t mean that you need to brush your teeth for longer or for more than 2 minutes.
• Gently brush on all surfaces of your teeth in circular motions, especially if you have dental implants, to achieve clean and shinier teeth every day.
• Brushing teeth for too long can harm the upper surface of your teeth and the gums, which can make your teeth sensitive while eating or drinking soft and cold food and beverages.

Using Too Much Toothpaste

• The amount of toothpaste you use is also very important for oral care and brushing your teeth correctly.
• Dentists recommend choosing fluoride-based toothpaste, and that too in a small amount because taking too much toothpaste on your brush doesn’t necessarily mean that it will properly clean your teeth.
• But it is important to take the right amount of toothpaste, brush in circular motion, and reach every surface and inner corner of your teeth to have clean teeth and gums.

Brushing A Bit Too Hard

• Cleaning your teeth properly doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to be hard on your teeth.
• There is a thin layer of bacteria on your teeth that can be easily removed by using the right brush and toothpaste.
• Choosing a toothbrush that has hard bristles and is too hard on your teeth can ruin the upper surface of your teeth.

Rinsing Your Mouth With Water After Brushing

• You can spit the toothpaste out, but the moment you mix water, the efficiency of the fluoride from your toothpaste is cut down.
• If you have a habit of rinsing your mouth daily. Use a mouthwash that contains fluoride instead of water.
• Wait for at least half an hour after brushing to rinse your mouth, drink water, or consume any beverages.

Not Using Dental Floss

• If you are not habitual to flossing regularly, you must start flossing every day at least once.
• Flossing is required once a day to remove plaque and food particles stuck in the inner corners of the teeth.
• Plaque that is not removed through brushing teeth should be removed by flossing. Otherwise, the deposits can turn into hard calcified deposits that can lead to tooth decay.

Storing Toothbrush In an Unhygienic Place

• Most people keep their toothbrush in the bathroom, which is one of the most unhygienic places to keep your toothbrush.
• Be smart, and avoid sharing your toothbrush with others. Keep it in an open area to avoid moisture that forms bacteria on the bristles.
• But, if you store it in the bathroom, and when you flush your toilet, the contents of the toilet bowl are transmitted in all directions and can sit on the bristles of the brush.

Forgetting To Clean Your Tongue

• Neglecting your tongue when it comes to oral hygiene is the most common problem seen in most people.
• You must remember to clean your tongue while brushing. Regularly clean your tongue to remove bacteria deposits and prevent bad breath.
• A good tongue cleaner scrapes out the residual bacteria from the tongue, making it cleaner. You can also get a toothbrush that has tongue cleaner on its opposite side.

Using The Same Toothbrush For Too Long

• When you have a good toothbrush, it’s sometimes hard to give up on that. But when you have been using your toothbrush for too long, and it has become discolored, the bristles have bent, or it looks dirty.
• It’s time for you to change your toothbrush and get a new one with soft and clean bristles.
• A toothbrush loses its power when its bristles become frayed. And you need to replace your toothbrush with a new one every 3 – 4 months or according to its condition.

How To Brush Your Teeth If You Have Dental Implants

If you have dental implants, you must know how to brush properly to take care of your oral health.

• Choose a soft-bristled toothbrush angled at 45 degrees towards the gum line.

• Gently brush in small circular motions, paying attention to the areas where the implants meet the gums. Clean your teeth and implants at least two times a day.

• Choose a low-abrasive tartar control toothpaste that is specifically designed to clean implants.

• Floss regularly with a Waterpik flosser to reach every inner corner and tight space.

• Avoid and reduce your sugar intake, and remember to clean your mouth with water after every meal, and don’t forget to schedule your next dental cleaning.

Key Takeaways

Include one change to your teeth-brushing routine every day. You’ll notice that your mouth feels fresher. Avoiding these teeth-brushing mistakes and regular visits to the dentist ensures long-term protection of your gums.

Love Your Smile, Love Your Oral Hygiene Routine