There are several nightmares you may have been told as a child to scare you into brushing your teeth. You may even recycle these nightmares to scare your own children into brushing their teeth as well. This recycling of stories used to scare children into brushing their teeth has created certain myths about teeth, teeth brushing, and flossing.
One of the worst myths there is is that if you brush your teeth you will not get cavities. This is false, as even when you are brushing your teeth there are spots that are commonly missed. When brushing your teeth straight across, for example, rather than in circles, the area of the tooth right next to the gum is often missed, building up plaque, which leads to all kinds of teeth and gum diseases.
Yes, you read that right. Brushing can actually help prevent diseases like pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. How, you might ask? Well, periodontal disease is an infection that occurs when bacteria from plaque gets in the teeth. Once the bacteria begin reproducing, some of it can find its way down your windpipe and suddenly, you have a respiratory disease. Which, it’s worth adding, can be fatal. So keep brushing those teeth!
This is why the invention of the electronic toothbrush has been so popular. It is an effective invention, doubling the amount of surface area you can brush and clean. In turn, this also cuts in half the amount of time that you have to spend brushing your teeth.
Last but not least, there is a myth that flossing must come after brushing, or that brushing must come before flossing. Not only is it not necessary to brush before you floss, but could easily changeup your routine to floss before you brush. Switching it up this way could even prove to be more effective in the long run.
Most people think that brushing does most of the work, while flossing just picks up the leftovers that were too hard for the brush to reach. However, if you were to try changing up your routine and flossing first, you would find that it could pick up just as much, if not more, allowing for your toothbrush to penetrate more surface area on your teeth.
The fluoride in your toothpaste is useless if it does not come into contact with your actual teeth. It is not just used to make your breath smell better, but to clean your teeth and prevent them from becoming unhealthy with cavities or gum disease.
It can be easy to fall into traps, believing what anyone tells you about keeping your teeth healthy. The dangerous thing is making these things habits when they do not actually necessarily benefit you. Be sure to consult with your dentist and remember the importance of flossing in general. Without it, you will only be cleaning 60 percent of your teeth, which if you think about it is like only cleaning seven of them.
Richard’s Dentistry is dedicated to providing high quality care in a trusting, comfortable atmosphere. Anything from Crown/Bridges to Whitening and Oral Surgery, this is the most dependable dentist in Mt. Pleasant, MI.
