If you don’t brush your teeth, plaque will form in your mouth. If plaque is left to its own devices, it will eventually harden in to tartar. Tarter is a tougher beast to remove than its infant stage and, once it has formed along your gum line, the plaque it conceals will quite happily excrete harmful poisons which will, in turn, inflame your precious gums. Predictably, your gums don’t like this and will in fact recede from said poisons. This can then affect surrounding bone tissue and, because your gums have shrunk away, eventually lead to tooth loss. Not nice, eh?
Okay, I’m a little worried now. What can I do about it?
Look at that first sentence: ‘If you don’t brush your teeth…’ All this pain and palaver can easily be prevented provided you brush your teeth regularly. The ‘two times a day for two minutes’ brushing mantra should have been ingrained into your psyche long, long ago… Flossing, rinsing with mouthwash and attending periodic dental check-ups are also beneficial, but the brushing is really your absolute first line of defence against gum disease.
The time and the place
Now might be a good moment to raise one ill mentioned fact: Brushing at certain times can actually cause a little damage. These times, however, aren’t concrete; they are in fact relative to your eating. The acid present in many foods and drinks can soften your tooth enamel, meaning that brushing immediately after can in fact help in wearing down your tooth enamel! Thankfully, if you wait an hour after eating before brushing, you should have nothing to worry about.
Top tips for brushing
This seems basic, but make sure you cover all areas of the mouth. Be thorough! Plaque can get anywhere. When brushing, rest the bristly head of the toothbrush at an angle against your gum line and move the brush in a tiny, circular motion. Make sure to brush each tooth separately (both outer and inside surfaces) and ensure to keep the brush at angled as this will help target the gum line. When brushing the tops of your teeth, you also move the brush in a similar circular motion; you just keep the brush vertical this time!
Tags: brushing your teeth, gum disease Liverpool, gum disease prevention liverpool, oral hygiene liverpool
