Are You Brushing Away Your Enamel and Gums?
This article was updated on August 7, 2024
Do your gums bleed when you brush or floss? Does your breath stink faster than it should after brushing? Do your teeth feel extra sensitive to cold or hot liquids? Do the roots of your teeth show, or are your gums visibly shrinking over time?
If you have answered yes to any of these questions, you may be brushing incorrectly.
Enamel is the outer surface of your teeth, and it’s actually the hardest mineral substance in your body. Yup, that means that it’s stronger than bone too! This enamel is what protects your teeth from cavities.
Acids, bacteria, sugar, foods, drinks, and lack of saliva can wear away at your enamel and cause the surface of the tooth to become uneven, or pitted. When this happens, it’s important to use a really soft toothbrush and brush with toothpaste or powder that contains hydroxyapatite and a blend of clays to help replace the lost minerals from the surface of the tooth.
Unfortunately, many people - in an effort to keep their teeth “clean” - use an electric toothbrush with oscillating or rotating brush heads. Rotary brush heads might cause damage to enamel that is worn down or “pitted”. The rotation of the bristles over the uneven tooth surface acts like a sandblaster blasting off paint from the surface of a wooden table.
You are essentially brushing away your enamel!
Manual toothbrushes are safe to the enamel as long as the bristles are soft and you are brushing ‘up and down’ not in circles for the same reasons as the rotary brush. Additionally, brushing incorrectly also affects your gums! If you notice your gums are receding, one reason could be the way you are brushing. If you are brushing too hard with an abrasive toothbrush, you could (literally) be brushing off your gums!
A TOOTHBRUSH THAT DOES THE DIRTY WORK FOR YOU (SAFELY!)
Our favorite toothbrush for all ages and dental conditions is a sonic toothbrush. The gentle sonic vibrations literally ‘vibrate’ plaque off the teeth without damaging the enamel. I prefer 35,000 sonic vibrations because it’s strong enough to remove plaque, stimulate blood flow, and remove surface stains without overkill. Too strong of a sonic vibration will do the opposite of what it is intended to do- causing enamel breakdown and damaging delicate gum tissue.
At Primal Life we call our Real White Sonic Toothbrush our “mouth vibrator”. The gentle sonic vibration may not feel as rough and tough as a rotary toothbrush or even some other sonic toothbrushes, however you’ll be left with healthier and thicker enamel and gum tissue because of our consciousness in keeping your teeth healthy. Pair it with our Dirty Mouth Toothpowder or Toothpaste made with hydroxyapatite to help repair the outer layer of the enamel.
*Sonic toothbrushes are different from manual toothbrushes and must be used differently. The biggest mistake people make with a sonic toothbrush is treating it like a manual brush and moving the toothbrush in an up-down or in a circular motion. When using a sonic toothbrush, it does all of the work. All you do is hold it on your teeth and pause for 3-5 seconds before moving it to the next tooth.
For your teeth it’s a win-win. For your mouth it’s a win-win. You’ve removed plaque, replaced lost minerals, stimulated blood flow with gentle vibrations on your gum, and removed surface stains. Your smile will be brighter and healthier, and you won’t be blasting away at your teeth anymore!
References:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24993269/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29630790/