1. Only sugar causes tooth decay
Sugary food and drinks will naturally affect the condition of your teeth, sometimes causing cavities. However, even when you don’t have a sweet tooth, not taking care of your teeth is another path to cavities. Without regular brushing or flossing, tartar and plaque will build up often causing inflammation. Plaque and tartar are hard to remove with just brushing and flossing, so in order to avoid this, it’s important to maintain good cleaning habits, but still avoid overeating sugary food and drinks, they might not be the only cause of cavities, but they don’t help either.
2. Diet drinks are better for you
Diet drinks may have “less sugar” but it’s not only the sugar in these drinks that can damage your teeth. Acidity wears down the enamel on your teeth. Enamel protects your teeth, so without it, you can have heightened sensitivity, cavities or tooth loss. Even juices are filled with natural sugars, so when it comes to choosing a drink that isn’t going to damage your teeth, nothing beats water.
3. White teeth are healthy teeth
Just as the saying goes, “you can’t judge a book by its cover”. This applies to teeth too! Simply because your teeth are nice and white, doesn’t mean that there aren’t deeper issues. You could still have cavities, infections or other oral problems so it’s important to always pop in for a visit and get your teeth checked out. It’s also important to note that many things can stain your teeth, in fact, discoloured teeth are very common and can occur from foods to smoking or even medication. So even if you are taking care of your teeth and gums, you could still experience staining, but don’t fret, our teeth whitening service can give you a bright smile.
4. Whitening damages your teeth
Professional whitening is considered safe, especially when done at a dental clinic, where the dentist’s know and understand what is good and bad for teeth. So you can get that brilliant smile you’ve been chasing without worrying too much about damage to your teeth. However, if you opt for a DIY whitening kit, you could cause enamel damage. Home kits need to be reliable as well as followed correctly. If the instructions aren’t followed properly you risk damaging your oral health. This is why we recommend visiting us for a professional clean, where we can guarantee your mouths health and a bright set of teeth.
5. Braces are just for kids
With the introduction of products such as Invisalign, it’s more and more common to see adults going through the teeth straightening process. Whilst it’s easier to straighten teeth in the earlier stages before they get too settled into the mouth, adults are able to get braces too! Not only do braces help straighten teeth, but they can also help with jaw issues, or even sleeping problems. Whilst most adults won’t opt for the traditional braces, Invisalign provides a good solution.
6. The harder you brush, the cleaner you’ll get your teeth.
It may seem that the harder you brush, the deeper of a clean your teeth will get, however, over-brushing or brushing too hard can actually damage the enamel on your teeth or even your gums. It’s better to choose a softer toothbrush, as opposed to firm ones.
7. Flossing isn’t as important as brushing
Generally, people know to brush their teeth twice a day, however, flossing often isn’t included in this routine. When brushing your teeth, the bristles will do a great job of cleaning the surface of your teeth, however, they can’t get into the nooks and crannies between them. Flossing actually cleans ⅓ of your tooth surface, so it really is an important step in your oral hygiene and tooth health.
8. If you have sensitive teeth, it means you have worn away too much of the enamel on your teeth.
Losing the enamel on your teeth can lead to sensitivity, however other factors often come into play. Gum recession or whitening toothpastes can cause tooth sensitivity. The whitening process aims to remove stains, however, it penetrates through the enamel to the next layer, which is the sensitive part of your tooth. If this is the cause of tooth sensitivity, it’s an easy fix, simply switch toothpaste for a gentler option.
9. Charcoal toothpaste is better for your teeth
Charcoal toothpaste is somewhat of a fad when it comes to at-home teeth whitening, but it may be doing more harm than good. Fluoride is a key ingredient in toothpaste, it prevents tooth decay and cavities. Charcoal toothpaste has less fluoride than regular toothpaste, meaning that while it might make your teeth seem whiter for a moment, it isn’t providing the deep clean that your teeth need.
10. Hot water and lemon is the ideal morning drink
People often replace a cup of tea with some hot water and lemon as a way of avoiding stained teeth. However, the acidity of a lemon can erode the surface of your teeth, causing more serious damage. So in reality, drinking tea and going to the dentist for a clean to remove stains is a better way of preventing damage.