Do you also have doubts about whether or not a thing about dental health is a myth or a truth? Dental health myths are so common. From tooth whitening being a culprit of weakening of your teeth down to sugar being the main cause of cavities.
Do you want to find out the truth behind all these? In this blog, we will find out which of these things are myths and truths.
Myth no. 1: Sugar is the main cause of cavity build-up:
This might be the most common thing you’ve heard all throughout your life as far as oral hygiene is concerned. “Eating sweets will rot your teeth”, this is so cliché, right? The truth is, when your diet is high of sugar, you’re likely to promote the formation of cavities, but sugar itself is not the real culprit. Cavities are formed through a combination of acid and bacteria which attack the teeth. The bacteria is triggered by carbohydrates commonly found in cookies, candy, and other sorts of sweet treats as well as the healthier ones such as vegetables and fruits. The combination of acid and bacteria with saliva develop into plaque. So, it’s not really sugar, but plaque!
Myth no. 2: Tooth whitening weakens teeth:
So, what’s the TRUTH about this? Generally, teeth whitening products are harmless. It only affects the color of teeth and doesn’t remove any of the tooth surface. In fact, Dr. Kyle Stanley and Dr. Matthew Nejad both affirmed that “When you are bleaching your teeth, you are simply oxidizing your teeth using carbamide peroxide so that light refracts more favorably off the enamel. What can be dangerous is aggressively high concentrations of whitening gels that can traumatize or shock the teeth.”
Myth no. 3: Flossing doesn’t count:
Oops! Of course flossing counts. Brushing your teeth alone will only clean in-between spaces of the teeth and gums. Floss then acts as interdental cleaner. In fact, the ADA suggests that flossing before brushing helps keep brushing a lot effective; with less plaque caught between teeth, the fluoride in toothpaste can get through to more parts of your mouth. If you compare the teeth of a non-flosser and the one who does flossing regularly, you will notice that the non-flosser’s gums appear to be redder, bleed easily and are often “spongy’ when touched. Usually, these are signs of inflammation caused by bacteria around teeth and gums for too long.
Myth no. 4: Placing Aspirin near a toothache will ease pain:
The truth is, when you place aspirin near the source of the tooth pain can actually damage the gum tissue. Instead, swallowing aspirin might help reduce toothache but the aspirin would have to enter the blood stream because it cannot get through the enamel to get to the nerve. When you swallow an aspirin tab, it is broken down and absorbed by the intestines and then enters the bloodstream. It then goes around and obstructs with pain chemicals at various parts of your body. So if you have a toothache, the aspirin travels by the bloodstream to the toothache area, blocks the pain chemicals present, and you experience pain relief.
When either of these still confuse you, it is best to see your dentist. Roycrest Dental’s walk-in dental centre welcomes you for further dental services. Talk to Brampton’s best dentists at Roycrest dental today.