We know that many of the information that is believed to be true among the public are actually wrong, and that there is a lot of misinformation in the form of urban legends. Such incomplete and incorrect information puts our oral and dental health in danger. In this article, I will briefly talk about the mistakes that we know to be true.
No pain, no bleeding, so it’s okay.
Many gingival problems such as periodontitis are painless, bad breath is painless, some cysts and tumor-like formations are painless, and bruises begin without pain. Visits to the dentist every 6 months are very important in terms of oral and dental health and should not be neglected in terms of early diagnosis and prevention of some problems.
Daily fluoride intake guarantees protection from dental caries.
Fluorine can only protect clean tooth surfaces against cavities and to a certain extent prevent incipient cavities. It does not protect against gum problems and tooth loss. In order for fluoride to be beneficial, teeth must first be cleaned.
Problems with teeth run in the family. So there is nothing I can do! Or my family doesn’t have a problem with their teeth, so I don’t have to worry about it either.
Tooth decay and many gum problems are not hereditary diseases. Even in cases where the teeth are genetically prone to caries, proper oral hygiene can ensure the formation of healthy teeth. Or even if there is no problem in the family, serious problems may occur if not taken care of.
I just gargle instead of brushing.
No mouthwash alone can remove plaque and provide an effective mouth-tooth cleaning. Only regular brushing and using alternative cleaning tools such as dental floss provide long-term protection. The upper surface of the tongue should also be brushed softly without irritating the tongue.
Chewing sugar-free gum after meals is as effective as brushing teeth.
During chewing sugarless gum, there is an increase in the secretion of saliva. When the production of saliva increases, the washing function on the teeth also increases. Although chewing sugar-free gum has effects such as cleaning your teeth and refreshing your breath, it is not effective in cleaning plaque. Therefore, although it is recommended to chew the gum, it is never a substitute for brushing teeth.
Brushing your teeth for 3 minutes 3 times a day is sufficient.
More important than the number and duration is HOW the teeth are cleaned and brushed. It can only be sufficient if it is done with correct and appropriate equipment.
Brushing the teeth hard and pressing causes them to shine and clean better.
Brushing teeth hard; instead of cleaning and polishing the teeth, it causes abrasions on the enamel layer of the teeth. As a result of the erosion of the enamel layer of the teeth, a more yellow layer called dentin appears and the teeth appear more yellow. In addition, hard brushing causes tooth sensitivity and gum recession. It causes abrasions that we call brush caries.
Hard toothbrush cleans better.
Hard brushes can abrade teeth. A medium hard brush should be preferred. The important thing in brushing is not the hardness of the brush, but the technique used in brushing.
Putty and brush must be wetted.
While brushing teeth, the size of the paste should be as big as a lentil grain and the brush should not be wet. If it gets wet, the bristles lose their hardness and we cannot get the performance we want. The liquid required for the paste to foam is already present in the mouth.
It’s okay for your gums to bleed while brushing your teeth.
Bleeding when brushing teeth is a symptom of gingivitis and requires immediate treatment from a dentist. If you stop brushing your teeth because your gums are bleeding, the current situation will get worse.
To whiten the teeth, it is necessary to brush with baking soda and salt.
Brushing teeth with baking soda and salt, unlike whitening, scratches and erodes the enamel layer of the tooth due to the large granules it contains. As a result of this; The shine of the tooth goes away, it becomes dull, and with the foods we eat and drink, the teeth begin to color and lose their natural color in a shorter time. Long-term use of some commercially available whitening products and large pastes with granules causes the same negative effect.
Teeth whitening (bleaching) damages tooth enamel.
Patients who want to have their teeth whitening process done can safely do it under the control of a dentist. When the methods used in teeth whitening are performed under the control of a dentist, they do not harm the tooth enamel. In the first periods of whitening, it is necessary to stay away from factors that will color the teeth such as coffee, tea and cigarettes. If the recommendations of the physician who will do the bleaching are followed, whitening has no side effects.
Teeth cleaning damages the teeth.
Tartar cleaning does not harm the tooth when applied correctly by the dentist. In the calculus cleaning process, formations such as plaque and tartar that do not belong to the tooth surface are removed without damaging the tooth.
After the tartar is cleaned, more tartar occurs.
Regular and correct brushing prevents the formation of tartar. The tartar formed in the areas that we cannot brush well are cleaned by the dentist thanks to the dentist checks made every 6 months. There is no harm in it.
If your tooth hurts, put aspirin, raki or cologne on your aching tooth.
Do not apply aspirin or cologne to the area of your aching tooth. It is very harmful to put it on and causes complications called “alcohol, aspirin burn”.
If the tooth is going to rot, it will rot.
There may be a tendency to caries, but tooth decay can be prevented by cleaning, correcting eating habits and regular checkups.
Even if my tooth is rotten, it won’t help anymore, I’ll have it removed, I’ll have a new one replaced anyway.
Every possible treatment should be applied for the decayed tooth. Because neither function nor aesthetics, any prosthesis can be better than your own teeth.
Dirty blood should be shed after tooth extraction, it is good to bleed the place of the extracted tooth.
After tooth extraction, continuous bleeding of the area or removal of the clot as a result of the patient’s interventions in the extraction cavity causes inflammation of the tooth extraction site.
Extraction of milk teeth with the thought that a new one will somehow replace them.
Early extraction of the primary teeth causes crowding in the permanent teeth from below and deterioration in the development of the jawbone. For this reason, even if it will fall, the filling should be done and should not be pulled before time. If it has to be withdrawn, a placeholder must be made instead.
Aesthetic teeth are congenital.
It is possible to correct deformities and crowding in the teeth at any age. It is possible to have beautiful looking teeth by correcting at any age with orthodontic (wire treatment) treatment or alternative prosthetic treatments.
Removable dentures are cleaned better with bleach.
Cleaning the dentures with bleach increases the fragility of the denture and shortens its life. There are tablets produced to clean dentures, they should be used.
Bad breath comes from the stomach and does not go away.
Unlike odors such as cigarettes, coffee, garlic, onions, bad breath occurs in the cavities between the pus, under the dentures, in the gingiva and on the tongue. The reason for this is the bacterial plaque that has been waiting here. It can also be caused by sinusitis or upper respiratory tract infections along with stomach ailments. It is possible to get rid of bad breath if necessary treatments are done.
There is no dental treatment during pregnancy and it will harm the baby.
Although dental treatments that require urgency can be performed in every period of pregnancy, it is more appropriate to do it especially between 4-6 months.
During pregnancy, because calcium is withdrawn from the teeth, the gums bleed, the teeth rot, and tooth loss occurs.
Expectant mothers should undergo dental check-up and undergo necessary treatments before pregnancy. Gum bleeding and tooth decay during pregnancy are NOT caused by calcium withdrawal from the tooth. If the necessary attention is not paid to oral care during this period, gingivitis may occur or the existing inflammation may progress due to the effect of general hormonal changes during pregnancy. There is no such thing as tooth loss in every pregnancy. In cases where oral care is not taken care of and there are untreated caries, tooth loss occurs with the progression of gum diseases.
Finally: There is no difference between male or female dentists. There is no such thing as men pull teeth better. The important thing in tooth extraction is not how strong the person is, but the correct technique. There is no need to be extra strong in tooth extraction.
