What happens if you brush your teeth aggressively?
Brushing too vigorously or frequently can damage your teeth and gums. It’s better to be gentle than forceful… Especially if force causes damage, as can happen during toothbrushing.
The useful life of a toothbrush is 2-3 months, but if after a few days or weeks you notice it frayed and with open filaments, you are probably brushing your teeth too vigorously or frequently.
We explain why you should avoid what dentists call aggressive brushing and how you can do it.
If you apply too much pressure with the brush against your teeth or gums, if you rub vigorously horizontally or if you brush too frequently, over time two problems could arise: Enamel damage (abfractions).
Detachment of the enamel at the neck of the tooth.
Receding gums.
The gums become inflamed and recede, not only exposing part of the tooth root, but also causing tooth sensitivity and a greater risk of tooth decay.
The toothbrush: Mop or broom?
This is the key.
Many people make the mistake of thinking that a toothbrush is for scrubbing, but that’s not the case: the toothbrush should sweep away bacteria.
Therefore, the first step is to change our mindset and use the brush more like a broom than a mop.
Once we are aware of this, at Clínica Cervera we recommend that you: Do not press on the brush.
It is not necessary and counterproductive.
Remember that the brush is a broom and we must use it to sweep away bacteria from the junction between the tooth and the gum downwards, and from the bottom of the tongue to the tip.
Use an electric toothbrush with pressure warning.
As a complementary aid, you can purchase an electric toothbrush with a pressure warning, which will emit an audible signal or even stop automatically when it detects that you are applying more force than necessary.
Avoid abrasive toothpastes.
Abrasive toothpastes, such as whitening ones, can aggravate aggressive brushing.
It is better to opt for those with low abrasiveness rates.
Choose the right time to brush your teeth.
After any meal, the pH of our mouth decreases and the enamel demineralizes.
All this makes our teeth more defenseless against aggressive brushing.
For this reason, it is important that, after meals, we wait at least half an hour before brushing our teeth.