Prime News Ghana

7 common mistakes you make when brushing your teeth

By Wendy Amarteifio
teeth
7 common mistakes you make when brushing your teeth
Shares
facebook sharing button Share
twitter sharing button Tweet
email sharing button Email
sharethis sharing button Share

Below are mistakes you make when brushing your teeth.

1. Using a hard bristle toothbrush

Brushes with hard bristles used with some force can remove the protective enamel coating your teeth. This results in sensitive teeth and gums that hurt when you drink something cold. Here are the common mistakes you make when brushing your teeth.

2. Using too much force

If you grip your brush hardly, chances are that you are scrubbing your pearly whites with a lot of unnecessary force. You are after all, only trying to brush away food particles and remove plaque, not buff them forcefully with sandpaper. Here are the common mistakes you make when brushing your teeth.

3. Not brushing long enough

There are a lot of toothbrush timers on the market that urge brushing for just one minute. That’s not enough time to get the gunk off your chompers. Scientists suggest brushing for two minutes, twice a day. Here are the common mistakes you make when brushing your teeth.

4. Not cleaning your tongue

When brushing, Don’t forget to clean your tongue as well as it prevents bad breath and removes bacteria.

A tongue cleaner scrapes the residual bacteria off your tongue. If you don’t want to do that – get a toothbrush that has a tongue scraper on the opposite side.

5. Neglecting inner side of teeth

Brushing your front teeth is important for a brilliant smile but remember that plaque forms on the inner surface of your teeth as well so don’t just focus on brushing your outer teeth, always remember to brush your inner teeth also. Here are the common mistakes you make when brushing your teeth.

6. Keeping your toothbrush in the toilet

If you place your toothbrush right next to the toilet bowl then there are chances that your brush might retain some of the bacteria that lurk in the air right after you flush. Here are the common mistakes you make when brushing your teeth.

READ ALSO : Your mouthwash can give you cancer and more

7. Old toothbrushes

If the bristles are worn out and frayed, it’s time to change your toothbrush. The broken and rough bristles won’t function efficiently in eliminating the plague as they lose their flexibility in reaching out for every nook and cranny. A toothbrush is recommended for 3 months only, after that change it to new one.