With the way many oral hygiene products are advertised, you would think that everything you consume destroys your teeth and only the dental products advertised can save them. Other dental products promote avoidance of certain foods and beverages. So, what do you believe? Actually, you should believe your dentist. Always run everything past your dentist so you know the real facts and know how to distinguish hype from dental truths. The following examples are just a few worth noting:

Fruit Acids Destroy Dental Enamel

The toothpaste commercial that makes this claim would have you develop scurvy (gingivitis) rather than consume citrus fruits, which are both healthy and good for your gums and teeth. The truth is, many foods and some drinks all contain fruit acids.

Fruit acids are natural in fruits and some vegetables and artificial in drinks like sodas and alcoholic beverages. When you weigh the benefits of eating fruit against the slight acidic effects they have on your enamel, it is in your best interests to keep eating fruit. If you are brushing and avoiding sodas and drinks or foods with citric acid in them, the citric acid in fresh fruit is really not a problem at all.

If You Are Going to Whiten Your Teeth at Home, You Need to Use More Than One Product

When you go to your dentist's office to have your teeth whitened, your dentist is not going to tell you to use additional whitening products after he/she has already whitened your teeth. Why? Because additional whitening products on top of a professional whitening or at-home whitening kit can actually damage your teeth.

Whiten your teeth, and then just brush and floss with your usual toothpaste. It is also a good idea to avoid whitening mouthwash, as it contains peroxide. Continually bombarding your teeth with toothpaste and mouthwash with peroxide will produce some very unpleasant results. At-home kits are safe enough to use, but you should not use an entire product line on a daily basis when all of the products are meant to whiten teeth.

Brushing Does Not Kill All the Bacteria in Your Mouth

This toothpaste brand does not tell consumers that the bacteria in your mouth helps kill germs that can make you sick. It also does not tell consumers that there are lots of good bacteria in your mouth that aids in digestion. Instead, it tells you that brushing your teeth does not kill the rest of the bacteria in your mouth and if you are going to kill almost all the bacteria, you need to use their product. That is not the purpose of a good toothpaste, nor should you attempt to kill all the bacteria in your mouth!

Contact a dental office like Mainwaring John D DDS for more information and assistance. 

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