Can Brushing Your Teeth Too Much Be Bad For You?

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In general, people brush their teeth three times a day, once after every main meal. However, one question that tends to pop up frequently is the implication of brushing your teeth beyond that frequency. Some people brush their teeth four or five times a day realizing what effect it can have on their teeth. Frequency isn’t the only thing one should worry about when it comes to teeth brushing. The method and pressure of brushing one’s teeth is just as important. In this article, we examine whether brushing your teeth too much can have a bad or good effect.

Effects of over-brushing

Here are some things one should be aware of if they brush their teeth too many times. Although it is considered healthy to brush one’s teeth regularly, it can have an adverse effect if you do it too many times. For example, over-brushing can lead to something called “toothbrush abrasion”. Basically, over-brushing can wear your teeth enamel down and damage the inner structure of your teeth. As I mentioned earlier, the way you brush is just as important as the number of times you brush your teeth. If you brush your teeth four or five times a day but you brush it very gently, you are less likely to be affected by “toothbrush abrasion”. Once your teeth enamel wears down, you may start to be affected by other bad dental conditions such as gum disease. Therefore, be careful with how you brush your teeth.

A study by the Wall Street Journal suggests that up to 20% of people have damaged teeth because of over-brushing! Another thing to note is the reason behind over-brushing. Some of us may brush our teeth too much because we think it will reduce the amount of plaque on our teeth. This isn’t necessarily wrong, but plaque, especially ones that are relatively new, is pretty soft so it can be easily removed. Therefore, you are not always gaining any extra benefit by brushing your teeth more.

So what is considered a good teeth brushing habit? Here are a few things to have in mind. First, unless your dentist recommends otherwise, use a soft-bristled toothbrush and not a hard-bristled one. This significantly reduces the chances of wearing down your teeth enamel. Second, use short circular strokes when brushing your teeth. Don’t do what most people do and brush your teeth horizontally (as in one side to another). Last but not least, don’t put so much pressure that the bristle starts to become squished. If you follow these tips then your teeth brushing habits will become a lot healthier.