From a very young age, we are all taught to brush our teeth “well”. This usually means both morning and evening, giving them a vigorous brushing. Although this advice is given with the best of intentions, it often leads to a number of mistakes that can actually harm your teeth, rather than protect them.<\/p>\n
At The Clock Tower Dental Clinic in Epsom, we believe that prevention is key to maintaining strong and healthy teeth<\/a>. With that in mind, we take a look below, at some of the most common errors that we make when brushing our teeth.<\/p>\n Old toothbrushes<\/strong><\/p>\n Do you change your toothbrush, or head of an electric one, at least every three months? The likelihood is that many of us don\u2019t. Sometimes a new brush can feel a little hard and we get used to the comfortable feel of a well worn toothbrush. Unfortunately, the worn bristles that contribute to this comfort are a lot more ineffective at removing bacteria from the teeth than a new one that is in good condition. You should change your toothbrush at least every three months and throw the old one away.<\/p>\n Hygiene<\/strong><\/p>\n If your toilet is in the bathroom, please make sure to keep your toothbrush well away from it. Bacteria spread easily and we probably don\u2019t need to go into detail about why your toothbrush should not be too close to the toilet!\u00a0 It is also worth mentioning that if you have an illness such as a sickness bug or flu, you should treat yourself to a new brush to prevent re-infection.<\/p>\n Be gentle<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n There really is no need to \u2018scrub\u2019 the teeth but some patients may do this in an attempt to keep their teeth looking clean and white. Unfortunately, brushing too hard can damage the enamel of your teeth, causing erosion. This exposes the dentin layer which is porous and therefore more prone to infection and decay. To brush correctly, you should use a gentle circular motion, with the bristles angles towards the gum line so that bacteria can be removed from there. You may want to invest in an electric toothbrush which has a pressure sensor. This causes the brush to cut out if you press too hard, helping to prevent erosion.<\/p>\n All of the teeth<\/strong><\/p>\n Whilst we naturally want our front teeth to look great when we smile, we should take care not to neglect the more difficult to reach areas of our mouth when we brush. Some of the most common places for problems like decay and gum disease to occur, are in between the teeth and at the back of the rear teeth. Take care to brush these areas well and also use dental floss to clean the area more effectively. We also recommend six monthly appointments with our Epsom dental hygienist<\/a> for a thorough clean and updates on the latest oral hygiene advice.<\/p>\n Fluoride<\/strong><\/p>\n Finally, make sure that your toothpaste contains fluoride. Most will do, but some \u2018natural\u2019 ones especially, may not. Fluoride helps to strengthen the enamel on our teeth, protecting them from decay etc.<\/p>\n For more advice on general dental hygiene, or to make an appointment at The Clock Tower Dental Clinic, please call our Epsom practice on 01372 720136<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Our Epsom dentist discusses some of the common mistakes we make. From a very young age, we are all taught to brush our teeth “well”. This usually means both morning and evening, giving them a vigorous brushing. Although this advice …<\/p>\n