I still brush my teeth twice a day, but I'm thinking now that I eat so often I should double it to 4 times a day. Thoughts?

I'm proud of myself for actually doing twice a day :) It took me a quarter of a decade to learn, but I finally always brush before bed - not only when I get up!

I have major brushing teeth problems. I'll get into a routine and do it every evening and morning for a couple weeks, but the majority of the time I brush once or twice every two to three weeks. It's horrible.

Since I'm at work most of the time, and they don't recommend you drink any of the water that comes from the tap, I bring these and use them a few times during the day (after I've eaten or had a cup of coffee):

http://www.oralb.com/products/product.asp?tid=products&sub=onthego&cid=onthego&pid=brushups

After I gave birth to my daughter, I didn't have time to brush my teeth in the morning. And now I've just lost the habit, so it's been just once a day for about the last nine years. :o Just saw the dentist last week, and he says my teeth are still great.

I'm trying to remember to brush my teeth after ever time I drink cola or coffee, but that's pretty often. If I remember to brush twice a day I'm proud of myself.

I think twice a day is good. Even though we eat 5 or 6 times a day, we aren't eating crap - soda, candy, etc. That's what kills your teeth.

This is sort of unrelated, but here's a tip: if you brush your tongue, stick it out as far as you can and go "ahhhh" (like you would if a doctor were checking out your tongue). This allows you to brush farther back, where the bacteria is.

I think twice a day is good. Even though we eat 5 or 6 times a day, we aren't eating crap - soda, candy, etc. That's what kills your teeth.

[For fun, imagine the voice of your highschool science instructor telling you the following]
Digestion of carbohydrates begins in the mouth. There is an enzyme called amylase in our saliva that we mix with our food during chewing. The purpose of this enzyme is to break down carbohydrates to.....sugars, that's right. What kind of carbohydrates? Any carbohydrates - brown rice, veggies, etc. So if you don't brush your teeth after every meal or snack, that's what's happening as long as those food particles that get left behind are there. You may not be eating sugary stuff, but you will end up with sugar sitting in your mouth. Brushing twice a day is the bare minimum. You may get away with less for a while, but your enamel is only so thick (this is highly variable from person to person). It will get thinner and thinner in spots until you start getting cavities and eventually start losing teeth. Choose the number of times you brush per day to correlate with the age you want to start losing teeth. 2x = 60's, 4x = 70's, 2x every 2 or 3 weeks = 30's
You can buy a tongue scraper at any drug store to get the gunk off your tongue. You will be amazed to see how much goo you accumulate on your tongue every day.

Can brushing too often erode your teeth?

And what should you do if you can't brush your teeth in school?

Can brushing too often erode your teeth?

And what should you do if you can't brush your teeth in school?

No, it won't. Use a brush with soft bristles. People use medium and hard, thinking they do a better job, but soft is all you need. Replace it every 3 months.
Who says you can't brush at school? Buy a folding toothbrush and keep it in your backpack or pocket. You can buy travel-sized toothpaste too. If anyone gives you any grief, tell them you are staying fresh for the ladies.
Those Brush-Ups things (the little sleeves you put on your finger) are small, but won't get in the crevases. I can't see why anyone would buy them, except to freshen their breath. Might as well brush your teeth with your finger and use some mouthwash. Just my take on it.

Actually brushing more than twice is really kind of pointless anyway.
If you're worried about breath stench, pop some elclipse mints, they work GREAT! or carry a little bottle of mouthwash and some toothpicks with you.

Same as the belief you have to have a checkup at the dentist twice a year. Once is good enough, if any problems are developing once is year is all thats needed to catch it.

I learned that stuff on one of those urban myths showson discovery channel, so take it for what its worth :p

Floss after each meal if you can. At least if not more imortant than brushing.

I have major brushing teeth problems. I'll get into a routine and do it every evening and morning for a couple weeks, but the majority of the time I brush once or twice every two to three weeks. It's horrible.


http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/10/10_15_7.gif

Please, oh please tell us you are not serious!

I brush after every meal, plus once when i get up and once before i go to bed.

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/10/10_15_7.gif

Please, oh please tell us you are not serious!

Yes, yes, I am. And it is horrible and it is sad. But it's only during the summer, I brush very frequently (at least once every two days :lol: ) when school is in session. (Please note that I do not try to do this, but I've just observed this. I'll probably brush my teeth tonight now and forget all this by tomorrow morning. :d_frown: )

Haven't had any cavaties (sp?) yet though. :tu: But I have a routine dentist appointment in a few days, we will see what he says. If it's all good, then I must have saliva like antiseptic mouthwash.

Floss after each meal if you can. At least if not more imortant than brushing.

Agreed, this will strengthen your gums and prevent bleeding over the long run.

Haven't had any cavaties (sp?) yet though. :tu: But I have a routine dentist appointment in a few days, we will see what he says. If it's all good, then I must have saliva like antiseptic mouthwash.

I've been brushing and mouthwashing pretty religiously since I last posted, though I did miss maybe one or two mornings. The dentist said that my teeth are in fine condition other than a little more plaque than one would usually have and my wisdom teeth are coming in straight thus far and it's likely I won't have to have them removed.

So, not brushing more than once or twice every two to three weeks -- though it's gross -- doesn't necessarily mean your teeth will be in bad shape, but I wouldn't recommend doing so.

I brush more for breath control than for tooth decay prevention. Probably the wrong reason to brush, but the outcome is the same.

I've been brushing and mouthwashing pretty religiously since I last posted, though I did miss maybe one or two mornings. The dentist said that my teeth are in fine condition other than a little more plaque than one would usually have and my wisdom teeth are coming in straight thus far and it's likely I won't have to have them removed.

So, not brushing more than once or twice every two to three weeks -- though it's gross -- doesn't necessarily mean your teeth will be in bad shape, but I wouldn't recommend doing so.

Yup, my teeth were almost perfect at 17. At least you go to the dentist. I know many people that get away with poor oral care for years (including myself), but after getting a root canal and having it get infected, I'm much more careful. It's just a matter of time before I loose the tooth since it keeps getting reinfected every 12-18 months.

twice a day... after i eat breakfast and before going to bed...

too bad i only eat like 2-3 times a day... going to college and havin a job suckz... because you barely get time to eat twice a day :d_frown:

I just went to see my dentist a couple of days ago. I asked him about brushing more often, as a result of eating more frequently, and he said it really didn't matter as long as I already brushed 2-3 times a day.

Instead of brushing your teeth, you could just take some green tea with you.

Tea Fights Bad Breath, Mouth Bacteria
"Our research shows tea extracts can destroy the organism that causes disease," says lead researcher Milton Schiffenbauer, PhD, a microbiologist and biology professor at Pace University in New York City, in a news release.
In fact, the same study suggests that green tea also helps toothpaste and mouthwash fight viruses -- by eliminating bacteria. Toothpaste or mouthwash alone demonstated little effectiveness at fighting viruses. However, by adding green tea extracts, the bacteria were nearly eliminated and the toothpaste was then able to fight off the viruses.
The study suggests that rinsing with black tea keeps plaque from forming and destroys acids that cause tooth decay.

Oh, and as an added benefit, it contains a substance called Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCg), which has shown in a recent study to increase the amount of calories your body burns throughout the day by improving the effectiveness of noradrenaline. In the study, subjects were given 3 cups of green tea per day. That dosage increased the total amount of calories their body burned by 35%.

:D (sparkle, ding, sparkle)
The only problem is that there are bacteria in your mouth that are supposed to be there (as far as I know anyway). Killing them wouldn't be beneficial, and I doubt that the tea would be able to tell them apart from the bad ones.

The article makes me sceptical, first due to including the quote "the organism that causes disease". Not only does it look bad to forget the "s" on "organisms", but it sounds like a weird quote from a doctor (or maybe it takes a doctor to put it that way, I don't know...still sounds weird though). Along with some spelling mistakes (one highlighted in the quote) it makes the article look like less than serious.

Another point; the article states "The researchers found that green tea was effective at fighting bacteria by inhibiting their growth." in the second paragraph, then later goes on to say "green tea also helps toothpaste and mouthwash fight viruses -- by eliminating bacteria." It seems strange that they change it. If it does eliminate bacteria, why didn't they say that in the first place?



I brush once a day, mostly. If I go without brushing for two days, I get a really yucky layer of goo on my teeth. It doesn't feel fresh at all.