I brush my teeth once a day at night before bed & avoid brushing them in morning as in just a few hours I will be eating a meal.
I usually take about 5mins to brush & go slow & gentle. But I can’t help think we are just wearing them down as its an abrasive action.
Does brushing wear them down over years? Roughly at what age would it become a problem? I would imagine our teeth would become weaker as they get thinner.
Assuming a soft bristle brush, regular toothpaste (as opposed to industrial grit), and normal teeth my understanding is that the wear-and-tear from brushing is negligible. It’s a bit like worrying that chewing food is going to wear out your teeth. That can happen if for some reason your diet is full of grit and sand, but that would be pretty rare in the modern world. Decay from lack of brushing and proper cleaning is far more likely to do serious damage.
We have at least one dentist on the board, hopefully he’ll be here soon to say more.
Don’t forget the factor of genetics which would sentence you to a life of yellow and weaker, cavity ridden but not rotting or decaying teeth like some do (me included).
I heard that a lot of kids and teens get cavities not just because of poor brushing habits but enamel formation that’s inherited from parents. On the other side, there are kids and teens who I know that consume Coca-Cola (soft drink and drug :D) along with other sugar loaded energy drinks combined with sweets and have white teeth with only one or two cavities on their molars since their birth.
I think fluoride makes a difference so even if you live in a country which doesn’t fluoridate tap water, you can get toothpastes from your dentist. Just remember not to brush immediately after eating as that can make teeth exposed.
I don’t know about wearing down the tooth, but you might wear down your gums. I had an ongoing issue a number of years ago where I was experiencing pain in eating/drinking anything cold. I tried that sensitivity toothpaste but it didn’t help. When I brought it up at my next dentist visit, he said it was due to my gums being pushed back and exposing new sensitive parts of the tooth, probably due to too stiff a toothbrush.
At the time I just used a normal bristle toothbrush and he recommended I switch to an electric toothbrush instead. When using one, you are not supposed to “brush” but just hold it to you teeth and let the tool do the work. It took some time, but I’d estimate that 3-6 months later the sensitivity took a huge improvement. It could be coincidence, but I’m convinced it was the heavy brushing that was wearing down my gums. Nothing but electric toothbrushes for me from now on.
USE A SOFT BRISTLE TOOTHBRUSH
Pepper Mill is, among her many talents, a Certified Dental Assistant, and this is one thing she is adamant about. There’s no excuse for using a medium or hard bristled brush, unless you’re cleaning out some non-dental filigree or applying shoe polish. Using a harder bristle can abrade enamel (as you fear) or your gums (as already pointed out)
http://www.advanceddentalcareofaustin.com/dentists-recommend-soft-toothbrushes/
Pepper threw out my harder bristle brushes when she moved in, and now discards my toothbrushes for wear long before I would be inclined to. And she only gets soft-bristle replacements.
As for whether a soft-bristled brush alone is wearing down your teeth, I suspect the relevant responses are:
1.) Compared to the food you are eating?
2.) For the good it does in removing food buildup, bacteria, and incipient plaque, the benefits far outweigh any slight wear.
I remember my dentist trelling me once that she’s seen some people who brush with so much pressure they wear off their enamel. She said it’s always men who manage to do this.
Wait, what?
Many folks brush their teeth at least twice a day, and some even do it after every meal, and most of these folks don’t end up with worn teeth when they get old. So obviously brushing alone won’t wear down your teeth.
As was already mentioned, some folks use hard bristles and scrub way too hard, which can lead to significant wear and tear on your teeth.
The OP may be doing more harm than good by avoiding brushing, though. Depending on what you eat, leaving food on your teeth may cause more damage to the enamel than brushing would ever cause. Bacteria in your mouth basically “eat” (as much as bacteria really eat) the sugar in your food and produce acids that erode the enamel.
If you use a fluoride toothpaste, the fluoride will help rebuild any damaged enamel. Scientists aren’t really sure exactly how it works, but fluoride helps to remineralize your teeth and will fill in tiny cracks and holes before they turn into major problems. There are limits to what fluoride can do though, and if you have a cavity, fluoride isn’t going to enable to you fill that big of a hole in.
This was the same for me. My dentist had me switch to an electric since my gums were retreating due to brushing with a stiff-bristle normal brush. My gums have gradually come back and my teeth are far less sensitive.
Like Procrustus said, let’s jump back to this little gem. I want to hear this logic.
Guys?
Mind if i stand in line behind you?
Whaaaa?
Well my science teacher in 8th grade and some ‘studies’ online say that brushing teeth too quickly after eating sugar prevents them from remineralizing. You have to wait at least 30 minutes to brush.
Don’t know it could be a half-truth.
From What I was told, whenever oral pH drops below 5.5 your teeth start to demineralize. This makes Them more physically fragile, and since most beverages (no idea about food) are acidic, you should wait half an hour after eating or drinking before brushing your teeth since brushing when they are demineralizing can harm enamel. That half an hour wait time will give your mouth time to make the oral pH more basic and rise above 5.5, most beverages people drink are pH 3-4.
That’s what I was told by a dentist.
+1 @ Wesley Clark. That is what I’ve been told too.
I think we need the straight dope on that claim. I wonder, if true, why it is not more widely known?
I thought it was widely known. In addition to just after eating, I drink a lot of coffee (acidic), and I’ve been warned by a couple of dentists (including my ex-wife) to take care to rinse my mouth with water and wait half an hour before brushing, because acidic conditions + brushing can hurt your teeth.
Mayo Clinic sufficient?
I’ve also heard this before.
I just had to have a gum graft because I used to brush too hard. But it didn’t damage my teeth.
Yes, thank you.
I now accept it as true, and only wonder how big a problem it is. Since many of us have not heard of this, and still have teeth, I assume it’s a relatively minor issue.