You may not have ever given much thought to how forcefully you brush. If anything, you may be under the assumption that the harder you brush, the better the results. As a matter of fact, this line of thinking – though common – is actually not accurate. You need to be quite careful and thoughtful about your dental hygiene habits to ensure your smile remains in one piece. Curious about what you should be doing to better protect your oral health and any restorations you may have, such as dental implants? Let’s take a look!
How You Should Brush
In order to protect your teeth, dental implants, restorations, etc., it’s important that you remember not to brush too hard. What you should be doing for effective dental hygiene is quite simple and requires you to press gently throughout the entire process. Keep the following in mind and you’ll keep your smile in top-notch condition:
- You need to brush your entire smile – every tooth surface – with a soft-bristle toothbrush and nonabrasive toothpaste (Remember: Gentle brushing only!)
- Make sure you brush your teeth twice a day
- You need to floss your entire smile once a day (Again, gentle care is important here, too)
Why Too-Hard Brushing Is Dangerous
When you brush your teeth with too much vigor or pressure, you can cause immediate and long-term damage and irritation. Too much force irritates gum tissue, which means your gums will begin pulling back – eventually, this may lead to a receding gumline, only partially protected teeth, and negatively affected teeth replacements like dental implants. Going overboard with dental hygiene may also scrape or erode natural or artificial tooth tissue.
ABOUT YOUR SANTA ROSA, CA, ORAL SURGEONS:
Combining experience in oral and maxillofacial surgery with a genuine care for their patients’ health and comfort, the team at Santa Rosa Oral Surgery is ready to improve the health and beauty of smiles in the Sonoma County and North Bay area. To schedule a consultation, contact our office by calling 707-545-4625 (Santa Rosa).
