DENTAL CARE: COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS AND RISKS

Since our childhood we know the rules of effective dental care. Most of us brush two times a day, floss regularly and visit their dental care specialist once every 6 months. However, we still have plenty of dental problems and must spend a lot of money for improving our dental health. What do we do wrong? Below, check out the list of the most common misconceptions and risks

1. Excessive brushing. Many people tend to believe that the more they brush, the lower chances they have to develop one or another dental disease. This is a serious misconception and it is highly recommended to brush no more than 1-2 times a day, use soft brushes and proper toothpastes.

2. Brushing right after eating too sweet or too acidic foods. This is another wrong idea, to brush your teeth right after consuming acidic drinks or desserts.

3. Vinegar in salad dressings. Adding such products as vinegar or lemon juice to your salads is harmful to your teeth. Try to avoid having such type of salad dressings on a regular basis.

4. Diabetes. This disease is linked to increased levels of glucose in the body fluids, including saliva. This is why people with diabetes usually have poorer dental health if compared with those who do not have diabetes. Your tooth enamel becomes soft and very sensitive when under effect of acidic or too sweet materials, and scrubbing it with tooth brush will not lead to anything good. That is why it would be better to rinse your mouth with a mouthwash and brush your teeth in not less than 30 minutes after eating.

5. Tooth whitening procedures. Sometimes, whitening procedures which we do at home damage our tooth enamel to a great extent. Therefore, instead of using special home kits, choose to go to a specialist and reduce the risks of having dental problems.

6. Drinking too much of herbal teas. This is a real shocker, but some fruit-flavored herbal teas can be very acidic and cause tooth damage, according to British dentists from the University of Bristol Dental School. Choose to drink good old black or green teas which have numerous health benefits and positive effects on our dental health.

7. Consuming sports drinks. These products are packed with harmful acids and sugars which can help to boost energy levels. A research has shown that sports drinks are about 30 times more corrosive than water. Try to avoid using sports drinks.

8.Drinking white and red wine. Studies have shown that red wine causes stains and white wine cause tooth decay. Those who got used to benefit from high antioxidant content of wines should drink during a meal, rinse the mouth after drinking wine and possibly use a piece of cheese to neutralize negative effects of acids in wines.

9. Using eye drops. The scientists found out that using anti-inflammatory eye drops is also linked to worsening of the dental health and tooth decay. Specialists at the British Dental Health Foundation warn that using anti-inflammatory eye drops and some other prescription medications is linked to such problem and dry mouth, which is connected to insufficient amounts of saliva in the mouth and weakened protection against harmful acids and other chemical compounds. If you use eye drops and suffer from dry mouth, keep this condition under control.

10. Swimming in public pools. It is amazing but even such habit as swimming in public pools can increase your chances to suffer from tooth erosion. According to a study which involved 500 participants, it was discovered that about 66% of those had yellow teeth and other types of tooth damage as a result of permanent contact with chlorine in water. If you can't refrain from swimming, try to always keep your mouth closed while swimming.

11. Playing video games. Specialists are convinces that those people who play lots of video games are more likely to eat unhealthy snacks, lose control on what they eat and give no importance to dental care.

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