4 Surprising Myths About Oral Health That Must Be Debunked
To lead a healthy lifestyle, having good oral health is crucial because both your physical and emotional well-being are tied to the condition of your mouth. It’s no secret that gums and teeth that are healthy help you enjoy your meals, speak confidently, and of course, boast that ear-to-ear smile! But despite the common knowledge on the advantages of maintaining proper oral hygiene, there is still scepticism on how to upkeep a good level of hygiene.
In order to promote good oral health, the misconceptions surrounding the topic need to be identified and debunked. To get you started, we have gathered 4 of the most common ones to get you started on your journey to fostering better oral health!
1. Frequent brushing makes teeth harder to clean
Some swear that their teeth get increasingly harder to clean the more that they brush them. But, this claim is not valid – instead, it is the tongue that gets harder to clean the more you brush it. In fact, frequent brushing of your tongue can compact the food particles and dead skin cells. You can consider looking into the use of a tongue scraper, or a soft-bristled toothbrush at the very least.
As for your teeth, observe proper brushing techniques and brush at least twice a day. Apart from that, take note of the pressure that you brush your teeth with. If you are brushing your teeth too lightly, you might not be able to dislodge any stubborn food particles, which leads to tooth decay. If you are brushing too hard, you might cause your gums to recede. Remember to tilt your brush at a 45 degrees angle to cover your gum-line!
2. The main culprit of cavities is sugar
When you were younger, you were probably advised to lay off sweets and other sugary treats because they can cause cavities. While it is true that sugar can cause cavities, it causes damage only if you consume too much of it and clean too little. Sugar left behind on the surface of your teeth creates the perfect breeding grounds for bacteria, which causes cavities and other oral-related problems.
Yes, laying off sugar from your diet is has several advantages. But doing it doesn’t guarantee that you will be safe from getting cavities; other food items such as carbohydrates can be a cause as well. If you want to keep your chances of getting cavities to a minimum, ensure that you maintain good oral hygiene.
But, it’s best to wait for about an hour before brushing. Sugars and carbohydrates can weaken your tooth enamel, so it’s best to let the enamel solidify before you brush.
3. Tooth gaps are caused by frequent flossing
There are a couple of reasons why people skip flossing their teeth, but the most common one is because they think flossing causes gaps between your teeth. This couldn’t be more untrue! As a matter of fact, flossing helps to prevent tooth decay because it removes the stubborn food particles between your teeth that brushing alone might not be able to reach.
If you notice a gap developing between your teeth, flossing is probably not the cause because dental floss is completely harmless. Instead, it might be time to look into braces treatment as an option.
4. You can skip the dentist if you don’t have any problems
This claim is understandable as most people typically don’t visit their doctors if they aren’t experiencing any health issues. Many also think that seeing their dentists less regularly can help them save up more – many simply book an appointment when they are experiencing teeth or gum problems. But, doing so can cost more.
Generally, it’s recommended to visit your dentist at least twice a year because it helps you steer clear from developing oral health problems that would require expensive treatments. Booking a regular appointment might seem unnecessary, but always remember that prevention is better than cure.
Conclusion
The overall condition of your teeth and gums is important to your well-being. To make sure that you maintain good oral health, remain mindful and proactive about your oral health – doing so will help you avoid a variety of oral health problems. And with the many misconceptions about oral health, it is vital to identify and differentiate fact from myth.
To keep your oral health in check, book an appointment with us at Luminous Dental! We constantly strive to boost our patients’ oral health by providing you with various services, all of which are tailored to improving your smile. Whether you need standard dental services like scaling and polishing, or looking for the latest Invisalign dental treatment for straighter teeth, drop us a call at 6538 2001 today!