Habits That Age Your Teeth

We often forget that a smile directly depends on how attentive we are to our teeth. The consequences of the simplest actions accumulate for years until the moment when you have to urgently run to the doctor. Olesya Izgareva, chief physician of the IDC-Skolkovo clinic, vice-president of the Independent Association of Periodontists, talks about what everyday habits make teeth age faster.

Brushing your teeth before breakfast or right after

All over the world, scientists still argue about this. Some believe that if you brush your teeth right after breakfast, you can injure the enamel layer softened by acid from food and drinks with the brush. Others say brushing your teeth before meals is also not a dogma, because plaque and food debris after breakfast serve as a breeding ground for bacteria. Any dentist can question both theories.

What to do? The recommendation is to simply rinse your mouth out before breakfast to get rid of the unpleasant aftertaste after sleep and get the same taste sensations during meals, and brush your teeth well 30-60 minutes after breakfast.

Use wooden toothpicks

First of all, a toothpick is not a hygiene product! Firstly, if food gets stuck between the teeth, then there is a reason for this: gum disease or overhanging edges of fillings and crowns - and with both, you need to go to the dentist. Secondly, manipulation of toothpicks is in itself a strong trauma, which contributes to an even greater jam of food between the teeth. An excellent alternative at home can be an irrigator (it perfectly flushes food debris between your teeth) or - for those who need compactness and mobility - a new trend in the form of Swiss silicone toothpicks, which are much less traumatic than wooden ones.

Chew and bite off foreign objects

At least once in their lives, everyone did this: they tore off the thread with their teeth, open plastic bags, bite off their nails, etc. This is not only unhygienic, but dangerous as it causes excessive pressure and leads to chipped teeth.

Get involved in home teeth whitening

Uncontrolled use of whitening pastes or mass market pastes in the low price segment will not be beneficial. They contain too much abrasive, which scratches, erases the enamel and, as a result, leads to hypersensitivity of the teeth and a greater accumulation of pigmented plaque on them.

How to slow down teeth aging?

Closely monitor their condition and supplement the abandonment of all of the above with two good habits.

First: to master the correct brushing of your teeth. For most of us, this is a mechanical action learned from childhood. We were taught to do this regularly and were frightened of the consequences. And today, few people have an idea of what actually needs to brush your teeth. Cleaning time (those same three minutes) has long lost its relevance, but the issue of hygiene quality is gaining momentum. Ask your dentist which cleaning method is right for you, as there are different types of cleaning (like oral hygiene products).

Second: correct bite in a timely manner. No need to be shy about orthodontic treatment. It has long become a sign of status and concern for your health. Of course, braces can be placed at any age, but the sooner the better: the consequences of malocclusion affect the condition of all teeth. The longer we wait, the more serious the treatment will be.