Have you heard this saying before?

You definitely have heard this if you visit a dentist often enough. Especially in any of KPF’s clinics. It’s something we tell our patients on a daily basis.

But have you ever wondered why? Why shouldn’t we brush too hard? Isn’t brushing hard the effective way to clean your teeth from plaque, tartar and all the stains?

To some degree, yes, you’ll clean your teeth, but you end up doing more damage than cleaning your teeth! Check out Mr. K’s condition below. This is what we call abrasion cavities caused by excessive brushing. See how long his teeth look now as his gums have receeded? Notice the concavities at the neck and collars of the teeth? Ouch!

Avoid doing this to your teeth as it’ll lead to a lot of sensitivity issues, long appearance of your teeth, unhealthy gums, and worse of all, non-vitality of your teeth.

But fret not, by Mr. K will get treated and everything will be good as new! Fillings will be placed on the worn-out teeth, root canal treatments would be done for the teeth will exposed pulp, and plenty of oral hygiene reinforcement to ensure that Mr. K learns how to efficiently brush, with a softer toothbrush and to avoid any more abrasion cavities.

Brush twice daily, use a soft toothbrush and take your time going from one quadrant to the other. Use the examples in the pictures for an idea of what toothbrush to get, and ask us how to efficiently brush your teeth with least effort!

Till next time, Dr. Shanaz. (shanaz@story.drfauziah.com)