Common Dental Myths Debunked

You may have heard of dental myths before, but they’re rampant in the industry, and often, it creates a problem for people because they believe it, and it can affect the health of the teeth. Here are the top dental myths debunked, and what they really mean for you.

The first one is that you only need to go to the dentist when your teeth hurt.  that’s not the case. Even if you don’t have dental pain, go in twice a year for cleanings and your exams.  Many times, dental issues can be asymptomatic or even cause issues suddenly. If you wait too long, the treatment might be way more expensive. Remember, prevention is better than elimination.

Then there is flossing creates spaces between the teeth. No, it doesn’t but instead prevents tooth decay. Essentially, you’re getting rid of the debris in between the gums and teeth, which removes the bad bacteria. When you begin a routine with flossing, you’ll see your gums bleed, but it tends to decrease over time. If it continues, it may be a sign of gum disease, so you will want to see a dentist. If you have buildup that’s hard to get off, that’s also a sign that you should see the dentist to get cleaned up.

What about the idea of “it’s only a baby tooth?” Many parents forgo seeing the dentist because yeah, it’s only a baby tooth. But, baby teeth are very important, in that they give the gum space, and allow them to grow. If you get cavities on baby teeth, it can actually cause tooth loss and a space, and you may have issues later on with your adult teeth.  You should get into the habit of treating baby teeth in a similar way to adult teeth.

Finally, what about the idea that diet sodas are okay because of the low sugar in them.  While there aren’t cavity-causing agents in there, they’re acidic, and that can cause issues with the pH, and it can cause the teeth to still decay.  Diet sodas have a very low pH and are very acidic, which means that it can erode the enamel of the teeth, which causes sensitivity because of the exposure of dentin.  Sipping throughout the day actually is more hazardous too, since bacteria within the mouth will attach the enamel.  It takes about 20 minutes to neutralize sugars, so if you sip, that’s a big problem.

Citrus juices do the same thing too, and if you can’t handle water, consider either drinking vegetable juice, or milk, but even with those limit them due to the sugars that may be present in there.

These myths tend to be spread a lot, and if you thought of these before, read what you read here again, and realize that it’s false information. you’d be surprised at how much false information is spread about our oral health, and it’s important to realize that it can hold us back a lot.