" Cavities come from the FREQUENCY of sugar exposure , not the AMOUNT of lolly picture . So , sip a soda pop , succus , Gatorade , or Redbull for hour is much bad than drinking it in five instant . "
Thanks to the internet, it sometimes seems like everything we’ve ever known is a lie — especially when it comes tohealthandhygiene. So, a while back, the dentists of Reddit were asked to share thedental hygiene “myths” that more people should know, and honestly, I’m writing this all down. Here’s what they had to say:
Note : Some reception were pulled fromthisReddit thread byu / you - gee - el - why .
1.“DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery) here. Mouthwash isNOT a substitutefor flossing or brushing. It makes your mouth feel clean and kills bacteria for 30 seconds, but after that, your mouth is just as susceptible to bacterial invasion, causing cavities. I have Listerine out for patients to rinse with after impressions and bad flavors/grits we use, but I DON’T condone its use as a sub for proper oral hygiene.”
— jahmahn
" My personal opinion : I think that Listerine and other OTC gargle that exact to defeat bacteria are a waste of money . You ’re basically sprinkle cash down the drain . But , I think that other fluoride rinses are NOT a barren of money . If your water is n’t fluoridize , get this , and utilize it in good order at least three times a week . "
— None
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
2.“I’m a dental assistant. I’ve been assisting for a while now, and have worked in one private oral surgery practice, and now, I work for a large general practice. Buysoft-bristle brushes. NEVER buy the hard-bristled brushes; those are actually for cleaning dentures.”
" I have no theme why toothbrush companies do n’t advertise those brushes as dental plate brushes , but they should . you may easily scrape up the enamel off your tooth with those brushwood . "
3.“As a retired dentist, one of the huge rackets in the dental field is theextraction of wisdom teeth— 95% of wisdom teeth DO NOT NEED TO BE EXTRACTED. Impacted wisdom teeth, if left alone, will cause a minimum of trouble, and you will lead a perfectly normal life with them. They may need occasional medication for pain if it occurs at all, but otherwise, they are innocuous in their effect.”
" Dentists regularly scare off their patients into having unnecessary remotion . They do it so often they believably trust their own hype . It is a immense source of income for tooth doctor and oral surgeon . "
— Finchgate
4.“It’s not normal forgums to bleedwhen brushing or flossing. If you start flossing regularly, the bleeding should stop. If you haven’t had a dental cleaning in a long time, you need your teeth cleaned to get a fresh start.”
— teethjanitor
5.“Soft drinks, juice, and sports drinksarebad for your teeth. One Coke = 10 literal teaspoons of sugar. Same goes for Gatorade/Powerade/etc. I feel so bad for the parents of the little guys we have needing 10 plus fillings, and they are so proud of giving their little hockey player Gatorade for ‘electrolytes.’ Marketing is powerful stuff. The constant exposure to this sugar creates an acidic environment, which literally melts or erodes the enamel causing decay.”
" It ’s the frequency of exposure to neat carbs more than the volume of dinero that causes tooth disintegration . Every time your saliva nullify the loony toons from these drinks , you re - discover tooth to the pane . Parents do your kids a favor : fate of water for hydration and a banana for electrolytes . "
6.“It’s true: Cavities come from theFREQUENCY of sugar exposure, not the AMOUNT of sugar exposure. So, sipping a soda, juice, Gatorade, or Redbull for hours is much worse than drinking it in five minutes.”
— DustinNielsen
7.“Don’t brush immediatelyafter consuming an acid like soda, fruit, sports drinks, etc. Instead, rinse with water after and then wait an hour to brush. Brushing immediately will cause further acid erosion.”
— potatoewedges
8.“Yes, flossingisnecessary. Do it. If you are susceptible to cavities or gum disease, thiswill minimize your chanceof cavities or premature tooth loss. Those that are low risk or less susceptible can get away with this more (one of my dentist buddies claims he never flosses and has never had a cavity), but your risk factors can change, and you will pay the price.”
9.“Whitening strips work, but you can risk bleach burn if the strips overlap your gums. Same with power whitening. You will likely be sensitive as hell after power whitening. The best thing you can do for whitening is to get professionally made trays and use them AS DIRECTED. Bleach burns suck, and they can happen if you aren’t careful.”
— unity57643
" Whitening product are best when you purchase trays made at your dentist , and they give you the refillable gel . If you utilize m.i . paste in assistant with whitening , it will keep sensitiveness down . "
10.“Fourth-year dental student here. Myth: ‘If I have a crown on a tooth, it can’t get another cavity.‘You can, and it will happen where the crown margin meets the natural tooth if you never brush it.”
— buhr
11.“Myth: ‘It doesn’t matter if my kids don’t care for their teeth because they’re going to fall out anyway.’ If your child’s mouth has cavities, it will host more of the same bacteria that cause cavities in their big-kid teeth.”
12.“We don’t use Novocaine. In fact, Novocaine has not been available for dental purposes in the US for about 15 years. I’m a dentist, and People ask about novocaine all the time. I think it’s weird. It’s a bit like going in for surgery and asking the anesthesiologist about ether. So, what do we use? Various other anesthetics that work better. Most commonly, lidocaine 2% and articaine 4%.”
— fattyre
13.“If your toothbrush frays at all (and I mean even a little bit!), you are brushing too hard! You should replace a toothbrush/electric toothbrush head every three months. If by three months it’s fraying, you are applying too much pressure.”
" You brush too intemperately , really . That ’s why electric toothbrushes are good ; primarily because it ’s easier to instinctively brush light-headed . "
— daveyb86
14.“Brushing correctly ismuch moreimportant than how many times you brush daily. I’ve seen people who say they brush their teeth three times a day (and I believe them) but still have plaque and calculus (tartar) on their teeth.”
" Brush twice a daytime , for two minutes each time . Do n’t use a destiny of pressure when you brush ( aka do n’t ' scrub ' aggressively ) ; it ’s more about being thorough . With a manual soup-strainer , angle the bristles at a 45 - degree slant toward the gums and copse in short round motion . With an electric toothbrush , you just need to make contact with each tooth surface at a 45 - degree angle and sailing along the dentition ; the electrical toothbrush does the rest . I highly advocate having an galvanic toothbrush , especially for older people or those with manual dexterity return . "
15.“Myth: Canker sores can be cured. There’s no evidence to prove this as of yet. You can manage symptoms of pain with Canker Cover or Anbesol/Orajel, but it takes 10 days to two weeks to get rid of them completely. Wearen’t even sure what causes thementirely. Bacteria? Acidic foods? No consensus yet.”
16.“If you ever puke,don’t brush right afterwardsince the pH of your stomach acid can temporarily soften your teeth, and you can then damage your teeth when you brush. Instead, you should rinse with a baking soda solution to neutralize the acid, and then you can brush your teeth maybe 30–60 minutes later.”
And finally…
17.“Dental hygienist here. Floss picks, water picks, toothpicks, interproximal brushes, mouth rinse, or whatever else you try to do to keep from actually flossing arenotas good as flossing. Period. Watch some YouTube videos onhow to floss, and pay attention to the way you HOLD the floss. It makes it so much easier.”
— Al_Dental
" When you floss , don’tjust shove it down and pop the dental floss back out . If you have tight contacts ( the place between your teeth ) , you ’re go to damage your sharpey ’s fibers . Sharpey ’s fibers are the flyspeck ligament that attach your tooth to the bone . Also , you might actually be cramming food deeper into your gingiva . Not cool . utilise a slow see - saw motion down , enclose the floss around the sides of each tooth , then see - saw back up . "
observe : Some submission have been edit for distance and/or uncloudedness .
