If you brush your teeth with a regular toothbrush, and without using toothpaste for about an hour a day, can it damage your teeth or your gums?
2006-08-30 02:58:15 · 29 answers · asked by patrick_newnham 2 in Health ➔ Dental
Sure it can. There is a thing as too much of a good thing.
Toothbrush abrasion can occur and if you are not gentle, your gums may receed.
It doesn't matter if you use toothpaste or not when brushing, to be honest. It's got fluoride in it and that is a good thing to prevent cavities, but to be honest, you can dry brush your teeth or use just water and get all the crud off of your teeth just fine. You won't have that 'minty' fresh feeling in your mouth, but the important part is to remove debris from your mouth.
While brushing your teeth, hold the toothbrush at a 45 degree angle to the gumline... soft, short, back and forth motions or small circles should be fine. Spend 2 minutes brushing your teeth. Flossing is important too, every day. (But you didn't ask about that. ha ha)
Please speak to your dental professional about this matter.
2006-08-30 03:12:32 · answer #1 · answered by Jennifer L 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What makes you think that a toothbrush without toothpaste is going to have any benefits at all...and for an HOUR a day...You could easily damage your teeth land gums like this...There is a condition known as DENTAL ABRASION. It can be easily caused by wrong use of tooth brush or wrong type of tooth brush used(There are 3 types of tooth brush.Soft.medium.hard.preferably use the one which is soft...it will cause minimum abrasion)...Believe me this condition is not uncommon. I have seen many patients with this problem and then those teeth would require filling...Besides that with aggressive toothbrushing you could cause GUM RECCESSION...
So be a bit careful...
First off, use TOOTHPASTE(because its the toothpaste which will actually make any diference as it has flouride and other chemicals which help in improving your dental health...
and toothbrushing should not be done more than 2 minutes/use. Besides that you should brush your teeth preferably thrice every day or atleast twice everyday...
So be a bit careful while brushing.Use toothpaste.Do not brush more than 2 minutes.but do try to brush 2-3 times a day.use soft brush and if you have any problem related to technique of brushing go to a dentist he will tell you the proper technique to brushing...best of luck
2006-08-30 12:10:33 · answer #2 · answered by sCrUbs 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, and I did this. You can brush too often and too hard. I did both of these things, and it ended up wearing my gums down to where the soft enamel on some of my teeth is exposed and now need about 5000.00 worth of work done to fix the problems that it caused. You can't see the problems I have, My teeth look really healthy and nice, but they hurt often. My dentist said you should only use soft bristle toothbrushes and if you brush across the top of your hand it shouldn't move, and that is the amount of pressure you should apply for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes of brushing.
2006-08-30 10:07:38 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It can do both. It can cause gum recession and the wearing away or abrasion of tooth. Also if the root is exposed, it is softer than enamel so it will wear away a lot faster. You should always use a soft bristle toothbrush and brush for only 2 minutes at a time. That should be sufficient to clean your teeth. Pair that with flossing and your dentist should be happy.
2006-08-30 11:54:17 · answer #4 · answered by Dr. H 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
By brushing your teeth for this long your bound to damage your gums and if not also your teeth. Brushing for an hour a day sounds like your obsessed with your teeth to be clean. Ask your dentist for advice.
2006-08-30 11:23:33 · answer #5 · answered by Waky 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes it can. Two minutes twice a day (in small circles) is adequate. If you brush too often or apply too much pressure, you will wear down your enamel and eventually your teeth will become weakened and can break off. It can also damage your gums to the point that they can become infected, recede back and require surgery. I recently saw pictures of what this looks like and it is very disgusting.
2006-08-30 10:11:55 · answer #6 · answered by jigsawinc 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, you can cause your gums to receed from excessive brushing.
Why would you want to brush an hour a day? A few minutes of proper brushing and your teeth and gums are clean and ready to go.
2006-08-30 10:06:03 · answer #7 · answered by scubadiver50704 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You dont need toothpaste, its the brushing that does the work. An hour a day is too much!! 2-3 mins morning and night or after meals is plenty.
2006-08-30 12:05:19 · answer #8 · answered by Stacy R 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, I know someone who as a child accidentally wore off the enamel on their teeth due to brushing too long and pressing too hard with the brush.
They had to go to the dentist to get artificial enamel replacement put on.
2006-08-30 10:08:34 · answer #9 · answered by gsp100677 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Many years ago a dentist did warn me that you could over-brush and brush the enamel off your teeth. Of course there may be different opinions, but I thought highly of this Dentist and trusted her expertise.
2006-08-30 10:04:30 · answer #10 · answered by -Tequila17 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋