Human teeth, like every other part of the body, need to be properly taken care of, and one of the ways we take good care of our teeth is by brushing them with toothpaste or other safe and effective liquid on a regular basis to remove dirt and other particles that may affect them or permit bacteria growth and infection.

However, many people make some common mistakes while brushing their teeth, which may have a great impact on the health of their oral cavity if not corrected on time.In this article, I want to briefly discuss five common mistakes you make while brushing your teeth.

1. According to webMD, aggressive brushing of the teeth is one of the mistakes that some people make on a regular basis that can damage their teeth and gums. Many people indulging in this act think that by brushing their teeth very hard, they will have clean teeth with good breath. You should know that aggressive brushing will only affect the gums that hold your teeth, and if they are damaged, it can cause bad breath.

2. Another mistake some people make, which you should avoid, is the habit of adding too much toothpaste to their brush before using it to brush their teeth. They believe that the more the paste applied the better it will be enough to clean their teeth and give them a good breathe, but this is wrong because a little amount of toothpaste is enough to properly clean your teeth. Too much of toothpaste can also lead to ingesting of some of this chemicals which if done on a daily basis can affect your health.

3. Another mistake some people make is buying a toothbrush that is not ideal for their teeth. A hard tooth brush can affect the gums when used to brush the teeth vigorously, and a soft tooth brush can also lack effectiveness in removing food particles from between the teeth. It is therefore advisable to use a medium-sized tooth brush as it is good for your teeth and effective. However, you know your teeth very well and the kind of tooth brush that works for you may not work for another, so get the one that suits your teeth but avoid using a tooth brush that is not ideal for you.

4. Using a toothbrush for more than three months is not a good idea because the thick strands of rubber on the brush will not be as effective as a new one, and it won’t be able to give you as clean teeth as expected. It’s advisable that you change your brush every two or three months of prolonged usage.

5. Using toothbrushes that have small or big heads without considering the size of your oral cavity and mouth is among the mistakes that many people make when buying a tooth brush for their teeth. If you have a small oral cavity, you should go for a brush with a small head, and the same thing goes for a big oral cavity with a brush that has a big head. Taking note of this will help you get the right toothbrush that fits your mouth and can effectively clean your teeth without damaging your gums.

6. Brushing your teeth in a hurry and within a one-minute period is one of the many mistakes that people make while brushing their teeth. Within that very short time, you should never assume that your teeth will be properly cleaned when you brush in a hurry. It’s advisable that you brush your teeth well and rinse them, and the time taken should be more than two minutes, or at most two minutes for effective cleaning of your teeth.