Aggressive Teeth Brushing: How much is too much?

[Daven]

I was told that if you pressed your tooth brush against a tomato and you left an indenation, thats too hard.

 

Doesn't that depend upon how ripe the tomato is ?

[Alcoblog]

Doesn't that depend upon how ripe the tomato is ?

I was unaware that tomatoes had teeth in the first place!

[El Cid]

 

But...(Yeah, there's always a 'but') How much is too much? Not so much in terms of duration or frequency, but generally?

 

 

If an electric toothbrush is not getting them 100% clean, is there something better?

You are not meant to brush your teeth within one hour of eating; but what if you have just had breakfast and are going to work shortly?

Is there "good" bacteria on teeth that brushing more than twice per day would hard, or would brushing 3/4 times per day be better than twice?

 

It is a big deal, because I like having teeth

[Isabelle]

you're doing it correctly.

 

It's the other people who don't know what they're doing.

 

Kindly point them in the direction of this post.

 

Edit - do you always watch other people brushing their teeth

 

Only my OH's son, he won't stay in the bathroom to brush his teeth, wanders round the house.

[GLASGOWOODS]

I was unaware that tomatoes had teeth in the first place!

 

Alcoblog, stop teething..

 

 

Yes, I am short tongued.

[Fudbeer]

I think a bigger issue is many people dont floss as often as they should as the brush only gets to part of the tooth.

 

I didnt floss at all for years and it cost me several teeth and plenty of pain with abbesses I know floss every day!

[Alcoblog]

I think a bigger issue is many people dont floss as often as they should as the brush only gets to part of the tooth.

 

I didnt floss at all for years and it cost me several teeth and plenty of pain with abbesses I know floss every day!

Sounds like a tough ministerial upbringing. Nuns have nasty habits, flagellation with the flossing whip being the preferred punishment of the nuns of Dental Abbey of course.

The abbess, Eliza Abscess, being of such evil disposition, was eventually burned at the stake in 1690.

[DnAuK]

Personally I use quite a lot of pressure with my electric toothbrush - enough to break the head of it occasionally - but that is because I have a bridge and need to get quite deeply in behind it.

 

I've tried interdental brushes and to be hoinest simply can't be ar$ed at 6am. Sure my gums bleed a little occasionally as a result but I'm a grown man and don't faint at the sight of blood. Plus I've been doing it as long as electric toothbrushes have been available with no other ill effects. So I guess I'll just keep on 'doing it wrong'.

[Bottletop]

I hate the scrape and polish at the dentists too, my front teeth are more sensitive than my others and that's where he/she seems to spend longest cleaning them - so painful!

 

Do you also find afterwards you've got new and bigger gaps between your teeth than you ever had before? I hate that feeling, and then my tongue gets sore because I can't stop running it over my new gaps.

 

However I am rather lucky, and I think it all comes down to this and genetics - getting good teeth passed down through generations.

I only ever brush my teeth once a day, and sometimes even miss out on that if I'm in a rush. I eat sweets and chocolate when I want (too often!) and yet every time I visit the dentist for a checkup they tell me not to bother coming back for 18 months!

I'm 40 and haven't had a single filling or anything else yet. A fair few years ago a dentist made me laugh when she asked if I was on a special diet cutting out sugar etc because I had such good teeth....

[PeteMorris]

It's the 'stone cold' jet-wash that REALLY makes me squirm. The last time I had it, the dentist (and yes it was the dentist, rather than a hygienist) had to give me injections (four of them) to completely numb my mouth before she could get on with the job, and even then it was very uncomfortable, and involved scraping too.

 

I asked her about why the water was so cold...But she couldn't understand a word I said because my mouth didn't work properly! Joking...But she said they don't make one that warms the water, or draws it from a warm supply.

 

I would have thought it would be relatively simple to do, but I know nothing of course.

 

Yes you're right bottletop. We do end up with huge chasms between out teeth when they're done, and yes I can't stop digging my tongue into the gaps either, and making my tongue sore.

 

Dentists wonder why people are reluctant to go, when (never mind any actual dental work) just the act of cleaning them is excruciatingly painful. Don't even get me started on the cost either....Mutter.... mumble.....