So is it possible to damage your teeth by brushing too hard?
Absolutely!!
Enamel (the white stuff that covers your teeth) is the
hardest substance in the human body.
It would be very hard to brush through that.
Enamel however, only covers the tooth as it comes out of the gums.
If your gums recede due to genetics or very aggressive brushing then another
layer of the tooth is revealed.
This layer is called the dentin layer.
This layer is much softer then enamel.
Brushing too hard can, very easily, erode this layer.
You can tell that this is happening if you feel a little ridge on your tooth
as you get up near your gums.
It may feel like a little trench or groove.
If you have one of these you need to get it checked out to see how deep it is
and if anything needs to be done about it.
Small fillings can actually be placed in the grooves to help
protect the tooth from any future damage.
If left untreated you can actually brush a deep enough groove into
your tooth that you would need a root canal.
The picture below shows a tooth where the groove almost reached the nerve.
Moral of the story is to stop brushing so hard.
A quick trip to the dentist can tell you if your brushing in appropriete or not.
No comments:
Post a Comment