Dr. Manjunath Hegde

Brushing too hard.

All of us have heard by now that brushing hard may not be the solution to our dental woes.Going the soft gentle and frequent way is what we need to do so if you're still in the habit of waging a morning battle with your teeth let's try and remind ourselves to be gentle and clean them like porcelain not scrub them like the toilet bowl. 

Hardly brushing.

If you're in the habit of hardly brushing which means either brushing too quickly or brushing just once a day it can cost you! 

As food accumulates and bacteria breakdown this accumulated food into acids which dissolve enamel -cavities are formed. These cavities need dental visits to fill up.

If small they can be done sooner and economically but if large they can end up causing you a lot of pain and even requiring multiple avoidable sittings.

Brushing with hard bristles.

Hard bristles tend to damage the teeth and we see multiple patients with severely work down teeth by just self inflicted brushing damage. Imagine thinking you're preventing a problem and actually creating one. While we commend the efforts of anyone who looks after their oral health we also ensure that overzealous brushes should use nothing more than extra soft bristles.

Not replacing your brush.

Replacing your brush is the most neglected aspect of oral hygiene that leaves everyone guessing  and being a small detail even your dentist would most likely forget to discuss it. So here's the answer to your dilemma of when to replace your brush - ideally every 3-4 months or when the bristles start to fray whichever happens first. 

Replacing brushes or brush heads has even proven to reduce throat infections as old bristles tend to start harbouring bacteria besides being inefficient at cleaning as well.

Not flossing.

Flossing hasn't been in our culture or education. We probably encountered a floss much later than we saw or learnt to use a brush. It's very important that just like brushing is second nature to us or comes automatically so should flossing be taught and instilled in our system. 

Flossing prevents the most number of cavities even more than brushing since not all brushes reach the areas that entrap food but floss definitely does. 

It is ideally recommended to start your cleaning routine by flossing and then brushing. 

An inexpensive method to save a lot of time and dental costs.