Even if you think you're doing everything right, there may be dental health mistakes you're making every day that you've never considered.

Daily habits that might seem look like no big deal add up over the years, setting you up for bad breath, gum recession, and sensitive teeth in the long run - but don’t worry, many of these are reversible or involve a simple change in your oral care routine!

Here are the top five mistakes I see all the time, along with how to fix them so you can be well on your way to better dental health.

1. Using Mouthwash
Despite what a lot of advertising would have you believe, mouthwash actually isn’t all that great for your dental hygiene. It disturbs the natural flora in your mouth and can even be drying, thus promoting the growth of the very bacteria you’re trying to kill!

In fact, you want to nourish and promote a healthy balance of bacteria in the mouth for great breath, cavity prevention, and even overall health. Ever heard of taking probiotics for gut health? The same principle applies for your mouth.

If you’ve been using mouthwash for a long time or have taken antibiotics at any point in your life (that’s most of us!) you can help restore this balance by including probiotic-rich foods in your diet like cheese and taking a probiotic supplement.

2. Brushing Too Hard
Harder isn’t better when it comes to brushing. In fact, if you brush your teeth too hard, you could be causing damage to your mouth, specifically, your gums.

When you brush your teeth too hard, your gums will begin to recede up and away from your teeth. This leaves sensitive parts of the tooth exposed, and it can also make you more susceptible to gum infections.

This problem is compounded when you’re brushing too hard with an old toothbrush. When nylon toothbrush bristles are first made, they are rounded into little domes to make them less abrasive to your teeth, but as they wear away with use, they become sharper, like little knives.

This can cause damage to tooth structure and enamel, literally wearing your teeth away and making them susceptible to damage and cavities. I recommend replacing your toothbrush every four weeks if you’re brushing twice a day.

All of these problems are even further compounded if you’re also brushing too hard. Brushing too hard not only contributes to tooth enamel being stripped away, it also doesn’t clean teeth effectively. When you brush hard, you usually have less control over where your brush is going, meaning you’ll clean the outside of each tooth quickly, but you won’t get into the spaces between teeth.

3. Ignoring Pain
Mouth pain is a sign that something’s wrong in your mouth, and that should never be ignored.

While some pain can be easily soothed at home with oil pulling or painkillers, most mouth pain requires a visit to your dentist. Some pain can be caused by an infection or abscess, which can be quite serious if not treated. Other tooth pain can come from grinding or clenching your teeth, which should prompt your dentist to screen you for sleep apnea or another sleep breathing disorder.

Other pain, such as increased sensitivity to food temperatures, pressure sensitivity, or general dull aches in your teeth and jaw can mean that your teeth themselves have been damaged, and to fix this, you’ll definitely need the help of a dentist.

The reason not to wait and see is simple: once the damage is done to a tooth, it never gets better. Yes, teeth do heal themselves, but the pain is an indicator that you’re past the point of the tooth healing itself and waiting only leads to further damage.

The sooner you make an appointment, the smaller the problem will be (and the easier it will be to fix).

4. Brushing at the Wrong Times
You were always told to brush after every meal, right? Well, the truth is a bit more complicated than that. While certain foods and drinks—especially ones high in refined carbohydrates—spur the growth of bacteria in your mouth in as... continue reading.... [url]http://www.manfabulousblog.com/2018/03/top-5-dental-health-mistakes-you-should.html
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