9 Dental Myths You Need to Stop Believing

When you see blood after brushing or flossing, it’s tempting to think you’re doing more harm than good. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Bleeding gums are often a sign of gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease.

The Truth: Keep brushing and flossing! It’s important to remove plaque and bacteria to prevent further damage. If your gums continue to bleed, visit your dentist.

We know that sugar can cause decay and cavities, but it’s not the only factor. Acidic foods, such as citrus fruits and carbonated drinks, can weaken your enamel and expose the more sensitive areas of your teeth (See our blog post on Tooth Anatomy to learn more). Additionally, any food that contains carbohydrates - like bread, pasta, and even fruit - can contribute to tooth decay.

It’s not the sugar or acid itself, but how long it stays on your teeth. Consistent snacking on these foods and drinks prevents your saliva from remineralising and strengthening your enamel, which takes about 20-30 minutes after eating. This means that if you take a sip of soft drink every ten minutes, you're essentially submerging your tooth in it for hours at a time! To avoid this, consume these foods and drinks in a shorter time frame, and leave a longer period afterwards for your teeth to recover.

The Truth: Cavities form when bacteria in your mouth feed on the sugars and starches, producing acid that erodes your enamel. Limiting sugary and acidic snacks is important, but maintaining good brushing and flossing habits is just as crucial to limit the chances of long-term harm to your oral health.

Waiting until you feel pain or discomfort will likely mean the treatment required to alleviate your symptoms will be more extensive. A small filling, which can be caught early at a check up and clean, can turn into extensive decay that needs Root Canal Treatment or extraction if left alone until it causes problems. Preventive care is key to maintaining oral health and catching problems before they escalate.

The Truth: Regular dental check-ups every six months help catch issues like cavities, gum disease, and oral cancer early, often before you even feel symptoms.

Some people believe that baby teeth don’t need much care since they’ll be replaced by permanent ones. However, baby teeth play a critical role in a child’s development by helping with speech and holding space for adult teeth. In fact, damage to baby teeth, via trauma or poor oral health, can actually damage permanent teeth long before they emerge.

The Truth: Neglecting baby teeth can lead to infections, difficulty eating, and misaligned and/or damaged permanent teeth. Keep up with brushing, flossing, and regular dental visits for your little ones!

Gum can help clean your teeth after meals by increasing saliva, which neutralizes acid and rinses away food particles. However, it has no impact on plaque and bacteria on teeth and gums, which need to be removed with friction from brushing and flossing.

The Truth: While chewing sugar-free gum can be a helpful addition to your routine and freshen your breath after eating, it’s not a substitute for brushing and flossing. Gum cannot remove plaque to prevent cavities.

Many people avoid teeth whitening out of fear that it will harm their enamel. While excessive use of over-the-counter products can cause sensitivity, professional whitening treatments are safe when done correctly.

The Truth: Whitening, when supervised by your dentist, is completely safe and effective. Professional-grade products are designed to minimize discomfort and protect your teeth.

If you regularly experience bad breath, it doesn’t automatically mean you have bad hygiene. There are several factors that can contribute to bad breath, including dry mouth, certain foods, and even medical conditions like acid reflux or sinus infections.

The Truth: While poor hygiene can cause bad breath, so can a variety of other issues. Stay hydrated, keep up with your oral hygiene routine, and visit your dentist if bad breath persists.

Many people believe that if they brush thoroughly, flossing is unnecessary. However, brushing only cleans about 60% of your tooth surfaces, leaving the areas between your teeth at risk, which is one of the most common places for decay to develop. With correct technique, flossing also removes plaque and bacteria from the gum line around your teeth, which can help prevent gum disease.

The Truth: Flossing is essential. It removes plaque and food particles between your teeth that brushing can’t reach. Skipping flossing allows plaque to build up, which can lead to cavities and gum disease. Incorporating flossing into your daily routine is a must for a maintaining your oral health.