How NOT to brush your teeth

Discussions about treatment with invisible braces that use clear aligners, such as Invisalign, OrthoClear, the Red White and Blue system, etc.

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waiting2smile
Posts: 105
Joined: Thu Mar 31, 2005 7:04 pm

How NOT to brush your teeth

#1 Post by waiting2smile »

I went to the dentist yesterday for my cleaning (I go 4 times since having invisalign per dentists orders - he's also my Ortho). Got some good news and some scary-to-me not so good news. So good news first...

:D
I have healthy gums with no bleeding, hardly any plaque build-up at all and no cavities. The hygienist was also able to get rid of the coffee stains on the back of my teeth with this crazy mouth size power washer thingy, my teeth looking sparkling clean! The whole thing took about 15 minutes total.

Now the bad news:

:cry:
Since starting Invisalign treatment I have been a tooth brushing machine. At least 3 times a day but often more if I snack or have something sugary to eat. I am very umm... aggressive about cleaning my teeth (Im a cavity-phobe) and what I've apparently managed to do it brush so hard so often that I have worn away the gum and some enamel from some of my back teeth, more on one side than other. :shock: She said that if I continue to brush as hard as I do very soon my teeth will become very sensitive to hot and cold, will be so much more susceptible to decay and I will end up having to have filling material added on to the tooth and or a gum graft. I asked (already knowing the answer) will it grow back? the answer is no. The best I can do at this point to maintain the gums as they are. :oops:

She suggested I buy a electric tooth brush (I bought a Oral B Vitality - 15 bucks and its great!) and showed me how to use it - correctly.
She also said that if I do need to use a manual tooth brush like at work ect.. to buy and extra soft tooth brush, never ever medium or hard.

There is also a new Listerine I saw the other day in CVS (I think you UK lads and lassies have had it for a while) that contains fluoride in it so I'll switch from my regular Listerine to that.

I know there are plenty of people on these board that have it much worse and Im lucky to have had to caught as it is now but for those of you like me who brush and scrub your teeth like crazy please, please, pay mind to this. If anything think of the $$$ that will need to be spent for filing material, gum grafts, root canals ect... not to mention the fact that it does not grow back!

Now that I've given my public service announcement for the day I'm off to find a more upbeat happy post! :D

diehard
Posts: 352
Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2005 9:48 am
Location: uk

#2 Post by diehard »

im sure being in the usa the orthos have the best but when i next go in for a hygine session iv been told they have a new device which measures your gums to see if they are shrinking overtime

Oliver11
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Feb 19, 2007 5:41 pm

#3 Post by Oliver11 »

Hi Waiting2smile

Sorry about your scary news! I'm from the Boston area too!

waiting2smile
Posts: 105
Joined: Thu Mar 31, 2005 7:04 pm

#4 Post by waiting2smile »

hey Diehard, I dont think my dentists office has that or at least they have never used it on me...I wonder if its like an xray or something. Let us know how it goes and how it works.

Oliver11.

Can you believe were gonna have a snow storm tomorrow after yesterday being 70 degrees! :shock:

Typical New England weather.....

Oliver11
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Feb 19, 2007 5:41 pm

#5 Post by Oliver11 »

I know! the bulbs are coming out in our yard and it's going to snow.

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