Can You Cause Damage By Brushing Your Teeth Too Much?

Everyone knows how important it is to brush their teeth twice a day. However, you may not be aware that it is actually possible to overdo it when it comes to brushing. Here are some of the dangers of brushing too often and too hard.

Brushing Too Frequently

The problem with brushing too frequently is that people may not be doing it in the right way. While brushing twice a day is the gold standard from your local dentist, you can brush more often if you want to. However, it's still important that you do it at the right time and with the right toothbrush.

If you want to brush after you have a meal, you should wait a while after eating or rinse out your mouth with water. Waiting allows your saliva to coat your teeth and remove the sugars and food particles that could be on the surface. Brushing will then cause that sugar to rub against your teeth, potentially doing more harm than good. 

You should also be brushing with a soft-bristled toothbrush for those additional brushing sessions. It's going to be much softer on your gums than a hard bristled toothbrush, which will cause fewer problems with gum recession. 

Brushing Too Hard

It's important that you always use a soft grip when using your toothbrush. It is possible to brush too hard, which is going to damage your gums and your enamel. Brushing with a lot of pressure is not going to make your teeth any cleaner, as counterintuitive as it may seem. 

If you tend to brush too hard, it may be best to switch to an electric toothbrush. These high-tech toothbrushes have a pressure sensor in them, and they will beep if you are applying too much pressure. This can help you develop good habits because you'll get that warning in the moment and be aware of what you are doing. 

Be aware that once plaque becomes hard on your teeth it turns into tartar. It is then impossible to get it off using a normal toothbrush, no matter how hard the bristles are and how much pressure you apply. The best way to get it off is by going to a dentist for a routine cleaning since they will use a hand scaler or ultrasonic scaler to get rid of that hard-to-remove plaque.

Ask a dental clinic, such as Dentologie, for more info about brushing too much or too hard.