Brushing your teeth twice daily is important. You knew that already. But when it comes to technique, are you sure that you are brushing correctly? Could you be unknowingly making mistakes when brushing your teeth?
To find out, let’s uncover five of the top mistakes I see people making commonly in my work as dentist when it comes to brushing their teeth.
1. Brushing with Too Much Pressure
Brushing your teeth is as much of an art as it is a science.
While many people are tempted to apply lots of pressure to get rid of stubborn food particles and plaque, this is the wrong approach. You should brush your teeth using gentle pressure, not firm pressure and not medium pressure. If you use an electric toothbrush or sonic toothbrush, you want to apply almost no pressure at all, letting the toothbrush head do all the work.
Brushing your teeth too firmly can not only cause enamel to wear, but also cause the gumline to recede, causing excess sensitivity.
2. Using a Toothbrush That’s Too Hard
A “less is more” approach is better when it comes to toothbrush firmness. Unless instructed otherwise by a dentist, you should always use a toothbrush with soft or super soft bristles. Medium and hard bristles are generally not recommended, as they can cause damage to the enamel and gums just like brushing too firmly.
3. Brushing with the Wrong or No Technique
Here’s the right tecnique for brushing your teeth, as covered in our blog “A Teeth Brushing Reminder”:
“Tilt the brush so that it’s at a 45-degree angle and brush away from the gumline. The brush should be moved back and forth without too much pressure being applied to the teeth.”
It’s important not to brush into the gumline as that can cause irritation and even receding.
4. Focusing Only on the Teeth
Brushing your teeth is important. But don’t underestimate the importance of brushing your tongue and flossing. If you focus only on the teeth, you risk leaving plaque in the gumlines that could contribute to gingivitis. Not brushing (or better yet, scraping) the tongue can leave a bunch of harmful bacteria in your mouth that can contribute to bad breath and tooth decay.
5. Not Brushing for Long Enough
Just how long should you brush your teeth? You should aim to brush your teeth for around two minutes in total. I recommend thinking of the mouth in terms of four quadrants:
- Upper left
- Upper right
- Lower left
- Lower right
You want to brush each quadrant thoroughly for around 30 seconds, which breaks down into about 10 seconds for each surface (front, back, and chewing surface).
Learn More
Want to learn more about maintaining healthy habits? My blog post “Make the Most of Your Mouth with Oral Health Resources from Dr. Kami Hoss” can help.
Looking for a great soft toothbrush? I recommend age-and-stage based SuperMouth brushes.
