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July 13, 2006
When they say to brush with a soft toothbrush,
they aren't kidding.
I went to the dentist today and told them about my tooth that when I eat pure sugar (i.e. frosting)- it is on fire. They told me that it happens to people who use hard or medium toothbrushes. You can actually brush away your gum... bummer. And it is never to return.
I am now convinced. I will use soft toothbrushes for the rest of my life. Here was the conversation that I had with the dentist today:
Leah : "I guess I just figured that the harder I brushed, the cleaner my teeth would get."
Dentist: "Yes, for most of life that is true, but we try to take it easy on living tissue."
Leah: "Oh right."
Posted by Leah at July 13, 2006 08:17 PM
Comments
Dang it. Thanks for finding that out for the rest of us. Sorry about your gums man.
Posted by: Wendy at July 13, 2006 09:32 PM
Oh wow! I'm definitely switching tooth brushes now! I use hard! Scary! Thanks for the dental advice! I'm sorry you had to find out the hard way!
Posted by: Holly at July 13, 2006 10:21 PM
If you use flouride rinse, like Act or a generic brand, it will strengthen your enamel and make that area less sensitive. (My gum loss wasn't from using hard toothbrushes but from brushing too hard with a soft-brushed one. I guess you're not supposed to push at all when you brush.)
Posted by: Jackie at July 13, 2006 10:35 PM
Wow, thanks for posting this Leah. I have one tooth that has some serious gum retraction problems.
Posted by: Dustin at July 13, 2006 10:46 PM
This is why I stopped brushing my teeth.
Posted by: Pat at July 14, 2006 02:22 AM
Pat, that is gross. But I laughed anyway..thanks.
Jackie- yes, they did say if you use a sensative toothpaste it can help fill the "tubes" that cause the sensativity and it should, for the most part, go away. But she did say to make sure you get a toothpaste that you can use long term. Apparently, a lot of sensative toothpastes are only to be used for the short term. She gave me some Crest sensative toothpaste and said it was safe to use all the time.
Posted by: leah at July 14, 2006 10:36 AM