Regular good oral care is of the utmost importance for healthy teeth. We learn that as children. But can you overdo it with too vigorous brushing your teeth and brushing your teeth too often? After all, the mechanical process of cleaning is not necessarily gentle.
In this article we have compiled the most important information for you about oral hygiene in the context of brushing teeth.
How often should I brush my teeth?
Basically, it is necessary to clean twice a day for two minutes each time. Teeth should be brushed once before going to bed. This is so important because there is relatively little salivation in the mouth during the night. Caries and other pathogens thus have a few hours in which they can do their mischief undisturbed.
It is a good idea to do the second brushing in the morning after getting up. It is best to do so before breakfast, because teeth should not be brushed until about half an hour to an hour after eating.
This is particularly important when acidic foods such as fruit or juices have been consumed. Otherwise, the acid from the food will enter the tooth enamel when you brush and can damage it.
Does it make sense to brush your teeth more than twice a day?
This is where things get a little more complicated. In principle, you can of course also brush your teeth a third time a day without any problems. For example, brushing after every meal to get rid of unpleasant smell.
You should not brush your teeth more often, at least not regularly. Brushing can potentially damage tooth enamel and the tooth structure.
The gums can also be attacked by the permanent irritation. It therefore makes more sense to use mouthwash or dental chewing gum for additional hygiene.
So, it is actually possible to brush your teeth too often.
How long should I brush my teeth?
It is generally recommended to brush your teeth for two minutes. A timer can help to keep this time. In addition, the timer helps to divide the two minutes as optimally as possible between the four sectors (top left, top right, bottom left and bottom right).
However, you should not brush your teeth for much longer than two minutes. Just like brushing too often, brushing too long can damage the enamel and irritate the gums unnecessarily. Too long brushing can also lead to sensitive teeth and gums.
What are the consequences of damage to tooth enamel?
Tooth enamel is the outermost layer of the teeth. It protects you from tooth decay and other pathogens. If the enamel is worn away by brushing too often or for too long, the teeth become more susceptible to diseases. In the worst case, fillings or expensive implants are required.
At Cosmedica Dental, a dental clinic in Turkey, it is possible to obtain high-quality dental implants more cheaply than in Germany. But even if the financial aspect is less critical as a result, it goes without saying that adequate provision makes sense. So brush your teeth regularly, but not too often.
In this way, you avoid the need for dentures in the best case scenario. Even if discoloration of your teeth develops, you should not start brushing your teeth too often as a reaction.
In most cases, the discoloration cannot be suppressed anyway. Instead, excessive, prolonged brushing potentially damages your teeth. Instead, it may make sense to whiten the teeth with bleach or have veneers applied. Cosmedica Dental offers both services in Turkey at particularly favorable conditions.
Which toothbrush is useful?
With a view to the aspects described above, you should use a soft bristled toothbrush with rounded bristles if possible. The background is that these brushes are less abrasive, i.e. remove less tooth enamel than harder brushes with jagged edges. The gums are also less stressed if 40-50% bristles with rounded heads are used.
Opinions differ on the question of whether manual brushing or brushing with an electric toothbrush is better. In principle, both toothbrush variants with a proper brushing technique are well suited for cleaning teeth hygienically.
However, the prerequisite for this is proper use. Many people find it easier to use an electric toothbrush because it takes over some of the necessary movements. Most models also indicate when you are cleaning with too much pressure.