Improve Your Dental Hygiene By Avoiding These Common Teeth Brushing Mistakes

If you regularly brush and floss your teeth but still require a lot of dental work each year to repair issues caused by decay, then the problem may lie in the way you are brushing your teeth. Since there have been many advancements in dental science since you learned how to care for your teeth, it is entirely possible that you were taught outdated methods for dental hygiene. In fact, you may have been taught things that have since been proven to be ineffective or just plain wrong.

To improve your dental hygiene, avoid these common teeth brushing mistakes:

Common Mistake: Using a Toothbrush That is Too Hard

Unless you are cleaning partials or dentures, you should always brush with a soft toothbrush. Using a harder toothbrush is abrasive and over time will damage the surface enamel on your teeth.

Common Mistake: Using a Toothbrush Too Long

If you have been using your toothbrush for more than a couple of months, then it needs to be replaced. You can tell if your toothbrush is too old by holding it lengthwise and looking for splayed-out bristles. If the bristles stick out the sides of your toothbrush then they are no longer able to effectively clean between your teeth.

Common Mistake: Not Brushing Your Teeth Long Enough

You should always brush your teeth for a couple of minutes. While this may not seem like a very long period of time, it's longer than you might think. Rather than relying on your judgment, brush with an electronic toothbrush with a timer or use the stopwatch function on your phone.

Common Mistake: Brushing the Wrong Direction

One common mistake many people while brushing is to use either a mostly back-and-forth or up-and-down motion. However, the most effective way to clean your teeth is to brush in a circular motion. Using a circular motion gets the bristles of your brush down in between your teeth much better.

Common Mistake: Not Asking Your Dentist About Teeth Brushing Issues

Finally, many dentists report that their patients fail to ask them simple questions about teeth brushing due to embarrassment. Adults often believe that since learning to brush your teeth is an early right of passage into childhood they should know how to brush and feel like their dentist will judge them for asking this type of question. Nothing could be further from the truth! Your dentist welcomes all of your questions about preventing tooth decay and gum disease.

Check out a website like http://www.silveradofamilydental.com for more information and assistance.