Are You Brushing Your Teeth Too Hard?

If you have sensitive teeth, brushing too hard or using the wrong toothbrush altogether can make symptoms worse. When it comes to brushing your teeth, there is such a thing as proper technique. Brushing too hard or using the wrong toothbrush can damage your teeth and gums, leading to problems like enamel wear and receding gums, which can in turn lead to tooth sensitivity. People tend to brush aggressively, thinking it’s the only way they can get their teeth to feel clean and look whiter. It can cause recession of your gums, but you're also wearing away the white, glossy enamel on your teeth, making them look yellow and darker. And when that happens, you’re putting yourself at risk for developing sensitive teeth.   Not sure if you’re brushing too hard? Take a look at your toothbrush. If you’ve been using it for three months or less, it should still appear relatively new. If it looks beat up and flat, that’s a sign you're brushing way too hard.

Determining the Cause of Sensitive Teeth To find the cause of your tooth sensitivity, Dr. Korinis will likely do an oral exam and ask for details about when you feel these flashes of pain. Key culprits to be aware of include: Your diet. Eating acidic or hard foods can harm your teeth. Juices, citrus fruits, and sports drinks can contribute to tooth sensitivity. Chewing ice. If you chew on ice, it’s a habit you should consider stopping, as it can crack the enamel of your teeth or grind it down over time. Harsh brushing. Any abrasive technique can increase tooth sensitivity. Habits like, using a hard-bristled toothbrush and brushing your teeth aggressively can contribute to tooth sensitivity. Tooth whitening. Sensitivity can be a temporary side effect of a whitening treatment, but it can also result from using overly harsh whitening products or whitening teeth too frequently. Tooth decay. Even a small cavity can eat away enough tooth enamel to expose dentin and cause sensitivity. Eating/digestive disorders. The frequent vomiting associated with bulimia leads to stomach acids wearing away at the surface of the teeth. Acid reflux can have the same effect. Pregnancy. Pregnancy doesn’t directly cause tooth sensitivity, but its hormonal changes can affect your gums, which might lead to some discomfort or pain. Cold weather. Cold air flowing over your teeth can trigger a sensitive twinge. Stress. Stress can lead to tooth damage if it causes you to grind your teeth, which in turn can cause tooth sensitivity. Because this grinding, called bruxism, often occurs when you’re asleep, you might not realize you're doing it. Teeth grinding can cause many problems, from tooth damage to headaches and hearing disorders.

The Proper Way to Brush Your Teeth It requires a lot of mindfulness, but you can change your hard-brushing ways. Follow these tips to brush properly to help relieve tooth sensitivity and prevent damage to your teeth and gums: Use a soft-bristled toothbrush. Choose one with the ADA seal and replace it every three months or sooner if it frays. Place your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to your gums. That way, the bristles can reach and clean underneath your gum line. Gently move the brush back and forth. Use short, tooth-wide strokes to clean the outer, inner, and chewing surfaces of the teeth. If you’re using an electric toothbrush, let it do all the work and just lightly glide it over your teeth instead of pushing it against them. To make sure you’re using a gentle grip, try holding your toothbrush in your non dominant hand. Slow down. We recommend that you brush for two full minutes, 30 seconds in each quadrant of your mouth, twice a day. If you never tried it, it can feel like an eternity. You don’t really know what two minutes feels like until you actually brush that long. But when you’re not rushing to finish, it will keep you more mindful about brushing too aggressively. Sticking with these tips can help you keep your teeth clean and your mouth healthy, while eliminating symptoms of tooth sensitivity.

For more information on any topic discussed in this newsletter or to schedule your oral health exam, please contact us at 201-444-2383.   Please be sure to visit our website at www.bergensmileconfidence.com. partial content compliments of: www.everydayhealth.com