Oral Hygiene Myth Busters 4

In the fourth and final article in our myth buster series, we examine a few more grey areas associated with our daily dental habits.

Myth # 13: When gums bleed, is this a sign of over brushing? – Brush gently, and do not end up a gum tree!

If gums bleed, it is more likely to be due to either gingivitis (gum inflammation) or early-stage gum disease (periodontal disease or periodontitis.

Over-zealous brushing will damage teeth through tooth abrasion. Abrasion is usually characterised by round or V-like lesions at the neck of the teeth and wears away enamel, exposing the dentine, which surrounds the entire pulp of the tooth and can lead to cavities or, more commonly, some sensitivity. Most of the modern electric brushes now let you know if you are pushing or brushing too hard.

Receding gums are not always inevitable, though they are very likely after a lifetime of incorrect brushing and bouts of gum disease. Another error is to use wide, side-to-side strokes across the backs or fronts of the teeth, which can cause abrasion and may cause you to miss areas. Instead, hold your brush at a 45-degree angle to your gums and make small circular motions, spending about 5 seconds on each part of the tooth, especially where they meet the gums.?

Myth # 14: What is worse for staining teeth- Tea or Coffee? – Storm in a teacup?

Tannin in tea is a far more powerful staining agent than caffeine in coffee. If you have ever noticed what tea can do to the inside of a white porcelain cup, then that is precisely what is accumulating on your teeth's enamel. You only need 3 or 4 cups of tea daily, and the staining process will begin.

Coffee contains tannins too but in lower amounts. You need to drink at least five or six cups of black coffee before teeth staining starts to make an impact. White coffee will also stain teeth but is less concentrated, so the effect is less compared with the same amount of tea. Staining from coffee is very superficial, just affecting the biofilm and not penetrating the enamel itself.

Ultimately exercising good daily teeth cleaning habits will minimise the risk of staining but reducing your beverage intake can only help good oral hygiene.

Myth # 15: Are there toothpastes that work while you sleep? – Let sleeping teeth lie!

With normal toothpaste, the fluoride will stay on the teeth for around two hours. There are some new toothpastes available on the market, however, where the fluoride is suspended in particles that stick to the teeth for up to 12 hours protecting your teeth during your slumber period.

Some new toothpastes work by slowly releasing calcium and phosphate. These minerals work together to replace and strengthen the enamel. Re-mineralising toothpaste in this way makes teeth more resistant to attack from acidic drinks such as fruit juice.

With any fluoride toothpaste, the rule of thumb is to spit and not rinse. As it is always better to spit out the excess toothpaste and retain as much of the fluoride and other therapeutic ingredients to maximise the benefit of your product.

Please visit our website for more detailed information on Oral Hygiene and please book an appointment with our hygienists to discuss any of the topics in these series of articles.

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