My BEST Dentists Journal

All Journal Entries
Share

Common Dental Myths and Misconceptions

How you take care of your teeth affects your overall health. Indicators of your well-being are a healthy set of teeth. Thus, it isn’t a surprise that many people today consider oral health as one of their top priorities for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. 

While good oral health can be accomplished by taking a few minutes for yourself daily, irreversible damage can be done with the wrong practices. There is an enormous amount of advice available online regarding tips for appropriate oral care. Unfortunately, there are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to taking care of your smile. The message can sometimes get crossed with new developments that are happening in healthcare every day. Dental myths can make your oral health deteriorate instead of making your teeth healthy.

The following are some common dental myths and the truth behind them.

Myth: “You will clean your teeth more thoroughly if you brush harder.”

The truth: A too abrasive toothbrush or brushing your teeth too hard can erode some of the hard enamel that has a function of protecting the insides of the tooth from decay and cavities. Instead of keeping your teeth cleaner, this will actually harm them. Doctors always recommend a soft-bristled toothbrush.

Myth: “Flossing creates spaces between your teeth.”

The truth: Flossing prevents tooth decay between your teeth, it does not create spaces between them. When flossing, you remove food debris around your hums and teeth, and by removing the harmful bacteria you keep your mouth healthy. When you start flossing your teeth, you might experience bleedings gums, but a few weeks into the routine the bleeding will go away. If the bleeding continues to happen, you might have a more severe case of gum disease and we recommend making an appointment at the dentist. Your dentist will help you determine the reason and develop a treatment plan.

Myth: “If you brush your teeth really well before going to the dentist, no one will be able to tell you haven’t been regularly brushing your teeth”

The truth: Hard tartar will form around your teeth if you don’t regularly brush and floss them, and it will no longer be possible to get it off with brushing your teeth. After tartar and plague have accumulated over a long period of time you can’t undo the inflammation in your gums. The amount of tartar and the bleeding gums are a dead giveaway to bad oral hygiene.

Myth: “Only sugar causes cavities.”

The truth: Sugar itself doesn’t cause cavities, although it can contribute to it. As the sugar breaks down, it feeds the bacteria that creates plaque in your mouth and it makes the acid that wears away the enamel of your teeth worse. Even if you don’t consume sugar, you will still be risking cavities if you don’t brush and floss properly. Sugar produces more acid and increases the chances of cavities if it stays longer in your mouth, so you should brush your teeth and rinse your mouth after eating sugary food. Also, sugar isn’t the only cause for tooth cavities. Sugar-free carbonated drinks, alcohol, citrus fruits, and starchy foods can also be blamed for damaging your teeth. In order to prioritize your oral health, you should replace these foods with vegetables and fruits that have a lot of fiber in them. These types of food will restore the mineral in your teeth by generating the flow of saliva.

Myth: “You don’t need the dentist if you aren’t experiencing a toothache.”

The truth: When it comes to oral health, people who don’t visit the dentist regularly end up paying the price. Even if everything seems normal, you must visit the dentist on a regular basis in order to prevent oral health diseases. You won’t be able to see some oral health problems at the begging. For example, when cavities are starting to form, you won’t feel any pain immediately. The best way to maintain good oral health is to do dental exams every six months because that’s how you can spot the trouble before it even starts.

Myth: “White teeth are healthy teeth.”

The truth: It is a common misconception that teeth that are pearly white are healthy. People don’t have the same natural color for their teeth, so having white teeth isn’t the standard for good oral health. Natural tooth color varies in lightness and is especially dependent on our age. It doesn’t mean that a person has better oral hygiene if they have whiter teeth than another. Primary indications of good oral health are zero cavity and fresh breath.

Myth: “Chewing gum is like brushing your teeth.”

The truth: Chewing gum cannot replace brushing your teeth. While chewing gums can promote better breath and cleaner teeth, it cannot replace regularly brushing and flossing your teeth.

(06/16/2022)
by Modern Days Smiles

More Information: N

Views: 323
Share


My BEST Dentists Journal Headlines