Ideally, how many times should you brush your teeth a day?

Your teeth play an important role in eating, speaking and shaping your face. That is why you need to keep your teeth clean. The trick, of course, is by brushing your teeth. However, ideally, how many times should you brush your teeth a day? Come on, find out the answer below.

How many times do you need to brush your teeth a day?

Brushing your teeth helps remove food debris, bacteria, plaque, and stains that can damage your teeth. If not cleaned, teeth can turn yellow, full of plaque, brittle, cavities, and even fall out.

Although important, there are still many people who confuse the rules of brushing their teeth. One of them, the frequency of brushing your teeth in a day that must be done.

According to the American Dental Association (ADA), ideally you should brush your teeth twice a day with toothpaste for 2 minutes. This toothbrush rule has been shown to reduce plaque, thereby reducing the risk of cavities.

Is brushing often better?

When you think about it, brushing your teeth more often shouldn't make dental hygiene more secure? In fact, it wasn't just that effect that was affected.

Instead of maintaining oral and dental health, brushing your teeth with toothpaste containing fluoride in excess can actually damage your teeth.

The fluoride content in toothpaste does function to strengthen teeth. In addition, this substance also prevents dirt and plaque from sticking to the teeth.

Unfortunately, brushing your teeth with fluoridated toothpaste more than 2 times a day can increase the risk of dental fluorosis.

Dental fluorosis is tooth decay characterized by the appearance of white spots on the teeth. The more the spots, the teeth will turn brown and easily porous.

If you are used to brushing your teeth more often, avoid using toothpaste when brushing your teeth the third time.

In essence, according to the ADA, you are allowed to brush your teeth with toothpaste 2 times a day. Pay attention to how to brush your teeth so you don't get rough and don't rush.

Also pay attention to when brushing your teeth

Apart from not over-brushing your teeth, another rule that you need to pay attention to is when you brush your teeth. Brush your teeth 2 times a day, generally once after meals and once before bed.

Brush your teeth after eating in the morning to allow your teeth to be clean from food debris. Toothbrushes are also able to get rid of bad breath due to dry mouth after sleeping for hours.

Meanwhile, brushing your teeth before going to bed prevents the buildup of food scraps for a long time until the next day.

If you are in the habit of brushing your teeth after breakfast, make sure you wait at least an hour after eating. Why? Give a pause after eating to brush your teeth, avoiding tooth decay.

This is because food makes the mouth acidic and weakens the enamel, the outer layer of the teeth. If you brush vigorously right after eating, the enamel that is already weakened by the acid will erode more easily.

If the food choices you consume contain high acids, such as oranges, the risk of loss is even greater. Instead of brushing your teeth right away, you better rinse your mouth with plain water. This will reduce the acid level in your mouth and keep your enamel strong.