Everyone wants it. The sparkling smile of strong white teeth. The picture of good health. You probably brush your teeth carefully every night before bed. Maybe you even floss and brush in the morning. That's excellent.
Some of the secrets of the healthiest smiles around sound like more fiction than fact. Even so, they're every bit as important to your oral hygiene. You should try…
3. Not brushing your teeth right after meals!
Okay, before getting into this one here's a warning: If your meal was high in sugar it's a good idea to brush right afterward.
For normal meals though, it's best to brush either before the meal or 20 minutes afterward. These both have to do with the effects of pH on the teeth.
When you brush before, you help thin out the bacteria living in the mouth. This lowers the number left living in your mouth during and after the meal, and so weakens their ability to lower the pH in your mouth.
If you attempt to brush directly after the meal though, you'll be scrubbing the outside of your teeth during a time that the lowered pH has weakened them. You could end up scrubbing away some of the enamel for your trouble!
2. Don't brush so hard!
When you brush your teeth, you're attempting to remove the life forms that have built up on them. What you should avoid though is brushing until you harm the life forms you need, like your gums.
When you brush too hard, you can cause your gums to bleed. This is an open wound in a part of your body open to the outside world and constantly swarming with bacteria. You can cause infections and other problems.
1. Don't brush too long!
Often dentists suggest brushing for about 3 minutes. Surely more is better though, right? Wrong.
Brushing too long can cause unnecessary wear and tear on the enamel of your teeth. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that the enamel is important. Weakening or damaging your enamel can lead to cavities, chipped teeth, or worse.
So there you have it. Follow these tips and you should be on the road to better dental health in no time. Well, as long as you're still following most of the great advice that dentists hand out all the time.
Have another counter intuitive tip that you think could make a smile even healthier? Let me know in the comments!
Gaurav Malhotra. Marketing Director at Elite Dental Care. Sharing with you information on dental care. Enjoy!
