Brushing regularly is considered vital for healthy teeth and gums, but dental experts warn that you can overdo it. Known as “toothbrush abrasion,” overbrushing can lead to sensitive teeth and receding gums. Vigorous brushing can wear down the enamel on your teeth and damage your gums, exposing the sensitive root area.
Although this is not always a bad thing, when you start brushing too much or for too long, you can ultimately damage your teeth. Brushing more than three times a day, and for longer than 2 minutes, can sometimes lead to your tooth enamel wearing down as well as cause damage to your gums.
We recommend that most patients brush their teeth for about 3 minutes at a time. This is usually enough time to remove all of the remove plaque and keep the teeth and gums healthy.
2 minutes—2 times a day
The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends the 2/2 rule: brush for 2 minutes in the morning and 2 minutes at night with a soft-bristled toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste. You could brush more often if you like, but the minimum for healthy teeth and gums is the 2/2 rule.
Overbrushing can be corrected if you brush your teeth the right way. To stop overbrushing, place your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle along your gum line. Move the toothbrush back and forth over each tooth occasionally switching to a concentric circular motion.
Treatments to Protect Teeth After Over Brushing
If over brushing has caused your gums to recede, they may never come back to the point where they were. You might require gum grafting surgery to replace the missing gum tissue and protect the exposed cementum in some cases.
A few signs of overbrushing include: Splayed bristles. Bleeding gums. Red gums or bleeding gums after brushing.
You should refrain from brushing more than three times a day, because brushing too often will wear down the enamel of your teeth. You must brush at least twice, but not more than three times a day.
While over-brushing can be a very real issue, it has more to do with your brushing technique rather than the number of times you brush per day. Brushing three times a day is perfectly fine as long as you brush gently and carefully, avoiding the issues mentioned above!
The Australian Dental Association recommends brushing two times per day, for 2 minutes each time. Plaque is a sticky layer of bacteria that forms on the surface of the teeth every day. It can make the teeth 'feel fuzzy' when they have not been brushed. Brushing removes the buildup of plaque and bacteria.
According to research, to remove as much plaque as possible more is better – with the best results at three to four minutes.
Even a few days without brushing can put you at risk of developing an early gum disease called gingivitis. You may notice red, swollen gums or bleeding while you brush and floss (note: you should never bleed while caring for your teeth!).
While a yellow hue near the gum line can be an early sign of tooth decay, gum disease, and other dental problems—it is usually an indication of dental plaque or tartar. Dental plaque develops due to bacteria in the mouth combined with food byproducts and proteins.
Brushing teeth while fasting will not break the fast. Combined with intermittent fasting, brushing will improve oral health and hygiene.
Though good oral hygiene that includes brushing and flossing helps in preventing cavities, you may still get cavities. The reasons can be many, like the spaces between teeth that easily trap food, consuming too much cavity-causing foods and beverages, avoiding regular professional-level cleanings and checkups, etc.
When the enamel is eroded so badly, in its thinnest form your inner layer can be seen, dentin. Dentin has a natural yellow color. So, if your enamel is transparent enough to show your dentin, your teeth look yellow even if you brush them every day.
As mentioned earlier, everyone's saliva is composed of different amounts of minerals such as phosphate and calcium. These minerals, along with fluoride and water, work to protect our tooth enamel from bacteria. Some people have more minerals in their saliva than others, giving them an upper hand in fighting cavities.
Because of the huge bacteria and plaque fighting power it provides in just a few minutes a day, brushing your teeth is one of the simplest, yet most effective ways to prevent cavities. Be sure to brush after meals and before bed.
Keeping this in mind, brushing your tongue is critical in removing all of the bacteria and germs from your mouth. If you do not brush your tongue, you are skipping a large area where many bacteria gather in colonies, and eventually cause trouble in your mouth.
As it turns out, cleaning and the feeling of being clean is good for your body. When you feel clean, your brain gets a jump start by produce endorphins that make you feel good. Endorphin production can also make you feel less stressed and in general can put you in a better mood.
While it is possible to strengthen and fortify enamel with substances such as fluoride, it is important to understand that no product can cause lost enamel to “grow back.” Once your tooth's enamel is worn away, it is worn away forever, and can only be restored with synthetic solutions such as veneers.
Once tooth enamel is damaged, it cannot be brought back. However, weakened enamel can be restored to some degree by improving its mineral content. Although toothpastes and mouthwashes can never “rebuild” teeth, they can contribute to this remineralization process.
The simple answer is, no. If your gums are damaged by, for example periodontitis, the most severe form of gum disease, it's not possible for receding gums to grow back. However, even though receding gums can't be reversed there are treatments that can help to stop the problem from getting worse.