Dentist reports the biggest errors of oral hygiene

Old wives' tales like "Bad teeth are hereditary" or "An apple can replace brushing with a brush in between" are still persisting today. With partly fatal effects on the dental health. "Those who believe these myths are often wrong or too late in the field of dental care, and often risk diseases and damage in the mouth," emphasizes Dr. med. Stephan Ziegler, dentist and head of the KU64 dental practice from Berlin, and admits with frequent errors in the following.

Decay and bad teeth are inheritable
"Teeth are not prone to disease from birth. Only tooth size, jaw shape and metabolic diseases such as diabetes, which may affect oral health, are inherited. For example, diabetics generally have an increased risk of developing inflammation of the periodontium - also called periodontal disease. Those who pay attention to a particularly thorough care can still keep their teeth healthy. Clean at least twice a day and use dental floss or interdental brushes. In addition, we advise our patients to have their teeth cleaned once or twice a year. "

Most myths about dental care. Picture: contrast workshop - fotolia

It does not matter if you use floss before or after brushing your teeth
"When it comes to the question of when floss should be used in daily oral care, the ghosts divorced. My advice is to use it after brushing your teeth. Because then there are ideally no food leftovers in the mouth, which can otherwise easily be pushed with the silk under the gum line and cause inflammation there. It is essential to use a new section of thread for each space in order not to disperse already dissolved bacteria, and then rinse thoroughly with water. "

Better leave bleeding gums alone
"Bleeding, which is not due to injury, but already occur during normal cleaning, are a first sign of gingivitis. This is caused by the bacterial plaque - also called plaque - which it is essential to remove. Therefore, sufferers must thoroughly clean irritated areas in particular, even if it hurts. If the gum bleeds despite several measures taken over several days, the doctor must go to the doctor. This is the only way to avoid the spread of bacteria, which in the worst case leads to tooth loss. "

Eating apple can replace brushing your teeth
"Basically, no other means can replace the cleaning power of a toothbrush. Contrary to stories spread even apples. Often they even harm with their contained fruit acid, because the combination of sugar and acid attacks the enamel. If you want to do something for your dental health on the way, but have no brush and paste with you, it's best to chew sugar-free chewing gum. They stimulate the naturally disinfecting salivation. In addition, rinsing with water helps. "

The cause of halitosis is mostly in the stomach
"Poor breath is the cause of diseases of the esophagus or gastrointestinal tract only in very rare cases. About 90 percent of it is produced directly in the mouth. Because here live trillions of microbes that feed on, among other things, leftovers and then excrete foul-smelling sulfur compounds. Help also offers a very thorough tooth cleaning. Do without regular rinsing with spicy mouthwash. They aggravate the problem as they also destroy the beneficial bacteria cultures in the oral cavity. "(Pm)