Brush your teeth three times a day? Always floss after every meal? Eating organic will keep your teeth naturally white? Heard of any of these or other common dental myths?
There are just endless things out there that define the dental structure and suggest what you should and should not be doing to help health issues.
But here’s a fact: not everything you read online is true. In fact most of them are just plain myths.
Well, we are here to debunk most of them. So let’s get started:
1.Flossing is causing bleeding . So skip it.
Sometimes when you floss, you will notice some bleeding. Don’t worry about it.
This isn’t because of flossing but it is because bacteria gets stuck in your teeth as you eat. And since bristles of the brush cannot reach this area, your gums have inflammation. This will cause bleeding.
So if you discontinue flossing, it will actually effect your teeth even more. So you should adapt the habit of flossing on a daily basis. Even after you get the ultimate Hollywood smile in Al Wasl you should ensure that you brush your teeth and floss regularly to maintain that peachy, perfect smile and stay away from tooth decay.
Till the very end, brushing is a habit you shouldn’t let go of at any point in time to ensure healthy teeth.
2. Brushing hard will get you cleaner teeth
Even the best dental clinic in Dubai can assure you that this is a complete myth. This is not just for smaller kids but also adults especially since their enamel is already weakened and if you brush and apply with a lot of force, it will affect the teeth even more.
It is best that you use a toothbrush with soft bristles rather than use brushes with hard bristles.
If you are putting too much pressure or brushing your teeth extra hard, you will notice that those hard bristles are doing more harm than good.
How? It actually affects the outer layer of your teeth. It causes for the enamel to erode. This enamel is what keeps the inside part protected. So when you abrasively brush, it gets impacted.
So better to make use of a soft bristle. This should be used softly against your teeth to ensure the bacteria is taken care of and the teeth are also properly cleaned.
3. Sensitive teeth happen as enamel is worn out
What causes sensitivity issues to the teeth? Some assume that when your enamel gets worn out, you get teeth sensitivity. However there’s more to this than just that.
You can get sensitive teeth from using too much of teeth whitening toothpastes. Did you know that one of the main ingredients in teeth whitening ‘ hydrogen peroxide’ actually penetrates within your teeth and it can cause teeth sensitivity.
So instead of relying fully on such kinds of whitening toothpastes, it is better if you let the professionals take care of it and make use of teeth whitening zoom in al wasl.
This will ensure you get amazing results without causing too much teeth damage in the process. Also you can opt to use gentler toothpaste if such strong teeth whitening agents are being used.
4. No pain? Don’t Setup Dentist Appointment
This is what you might hear from our older generation but it is as far from the truth as possible. Pain doesn’t always set in when a problem sets in. The issues of cavities and gum problems can be cooking in the month for quite a while.
The pain will only kick in when the issue has progressed even further. If you wait till you feel screeching pain, you will probably need a root canal treatment in jumeirah or tooth extraction. Though if you had shown to the dentist sooner, a simple, quicker tooth filling process would have taken care of the job.
Hence having regular dental checkups are essential to keep your teeth functioning in a smooth and proper way.
5. Brush a night before the appointment. No one can tell
Not happening. This is one of the oldest and shall I say the most ridiculous myth you can hear. It doesn’t really matter if you don’t brush your teeth regularly. If you brush really well one night before your dental appointment, you are good to go.
This couldn’t be far from true. If you keep your teeth untreated for a long time and just brush once before going to the dentist, in no way will this cover or account for the hard tartar which is build on your teeth.
Also there is sheer inflammation that happens on your gums if you have continuous plaque building on it. It will definitely not go unnoticed by your dentist.
Also if you are suffering from bleeding gums, it just proves that you days of tartar build on your teeth. And just washing once the night before your appointment will not magically take it away.
6.Chewing sugar-free gum is as great as brushing teeth
This is as old as time. There are may be instances where you will hear that sugar-free gum is really good for your teeth.
And here’s some good news- some parts of it is true. Did you know that gum actually increases your saliva production. This saliva washes away any food that is stuck within your teeth when you eat and drink food.
If your gum has xylitol, it helps to keep your teeth protected and also increases the production of saliva.
But that doesn’t mean you should completely replace it with toothbrushing or flossing. You will still need to get the real deal done once a while.
7. Age is a major determinant of your teeth’s health
No it isn’t. Sure it plays a major role when it comes to your dental health but when it comes to teeth deterioration, a range of factors will come into play.
Even as you age, if you keep your oral care in check, your teeth can serve a long way and so can your tooth enamel. The most important thing is that you steer clear of bad habits like smoking, and consuming too much of acidic foods.
Adapting healthy and hygienic practice will ensure your teeth remain sparkly and healthy in the long run.
7.Flossing causes gaps
This is a major myth that circulates around. However it isn’t true. Many people consider that flossing is a major cause of teeth gaps.
Flossing has just one job, which it does well. It removes plaque from your teeth. It also helps to protect teeth from decay.
As we already discussed, flossing can cause bleeding in some cases. However this isn’t relating to any spaces forming between the teeth and usually kickstarts when you initially start flossing. However if you floss consistently, you will notice that the bleeding has come to a halt. So it is best that you keep on flossing on a regular basis.
8. Cut Out Sugar. You’ll be Saved
So this is probably the biggest myth out there. Even toothpastes and mouthwashes advertise sugar to be the major culprit in case of cavities.
Sure having a huge surge of lollipops and candies is not an ideal scenario especially when they stick onto your teeth.
But it’s just a myth. Your teeth are equally affected by salty and savory snacks including chips and junk food like burgers and pizzas. Having high intake of starch is also problematic just as much as sugar intake. So you need to have a good control on both, for good oral hygiene.
9. Oral Health is Only Concerned with Your Teeth
Well not really. Your oral health and its deterioration has far more serious consequences than just having yellow teeth.
If you don’t take care of your teeth properly, you can face quite a few problems. These will include:
Cardiovascular disease- You can face inflammation issues. When the bacteria from this inflammation enters into your blood stream, your arteries become hard. This leads to restriction of blood flow.
Dementia- This is quite a scary thought. But the fact is bacteria that comes from gingivitis can also enter the brain. This leads to major health concerns, including the development of the Alzheimer’s disease.
Respiratory infections- The Journal of Periodontology warns that gum disease could cause infections in your lungs, including pneumonia. While the connection might not be obvious at first, think of what could happen if you breathe in bacteria from infected teeth and gums over long periods of time.
Diabetes concerns-Having poor oral health can also cause you to have poor blood sugar. This relates to gum tissue concerns and periodontal problems. If you don’t take care of your health in a timely manner, there are major health consequences you will face. Diabetes is an alarming condition on your blood sugar and this is one of the issues you need to be alert about and take care of.
Conclusion
So there you have it. A complete look into what are actual dental facts and what are made-believe stories. You should not follow all stories that appear on the internet. Much of these are dental myths which we have debunked for you.
Learn to adapt dental tactics which actually work and are true as compared to some mythical
