What Happens to Your Teeth if You Brush Too Long?

Many people enjoy the way their mouths feel after brushing their teeth. Unfortunately, this mistakenly leads them to believe that the more they touch, the better it’ll be for their mouths. Unfortunately, this is incorrect. If you brush your teeth too often or too long, you can cause problems in your mouth.

Tooth Abrasion

Abrasion occurs when you lose tooth enamel and cementum (the material responsible for covering the roots of your tooth) if you brush too hard. This is especially true in areas where your tooth and its root meet.

Receding Gums

Your gums may start to recede, causing the soft cementum on your tooth’s roots to become exposed. This makes them more vulnerable to enamel decay too. Once your cementum becomes soft, it’s easily worn away. When this happens, you will develop issues of pain and sensitivity.

Unfortunately, once this happens, your gums will never return to their original state. Sometimes you may even need to undergo periodontal surgery.

Sensitive Teeth

Brushing your teeth too much can also wear out the enamel layer of your teeth. Whether this is caused by erosion or abrasion, the nerve endings found in your dentin layer will become exposed. Even if they only get close to your mouth’s surface, it’s enough to cause you to have problems with sensitivity when you drink or eat foods that are either too hot or too cold.

In particularly severe cases, touching or brushing your teeth will make you feel uncomfortable. Unfortunately, it’s also true that cold air can make you feel the same way.

Since you don’t want to experience any of these issues, you need to learn how to brush your teeth, especially if you have done a root canal procedure without overdoing them properly. Of course, you’ll also want to make sure you use the correct products when doing so.