ORAL CARE

1 min read

Debunking Dental Care Myths with Dr. Mark Hughes

October 26, 2018

Celebrity dentist clears online dental care fake news.

Dr. Mark Hughes, the founder of Harley Street Dental Studio, helped us dismantle five of the most popular dental care myths that have made the online rounds. As one of the leading UK dentists, Dr. Hughes has impeccable credentials and has traveled the world to further his education in dentistry, most prominently in the USA. 

Dr Mark Hughes, Harley Street Oral Care Dentist

Dr. Mark Hughes

Myth #1: Brushing Teeth Will Prevent Tooth Decay

Tooth decay is caused by the sugars in your food being converted by the plaque in your mouth into an acid, so the most important thing to prevent tooth decay is to control your diet and reduce sugar.

Myth #2: Oil Pulling as A Substitute for Brushing

Oil pulling is not a substitute for brushing your teeth or cleaning in between them. There's no scientific basis behind it. Some people do it and forget that they actually need to brush their teeth, floss their teeth or clean between their teeth as well. It has such a small effect, if any, that would you really spend 20 minutes a day twice a day swishing oil around your mouth?

Myth #3: Charcoal Paste is Better at Cleaning and Whitening

So far there's no science to prove that. There is an anecdotal effect because the toothpaste is black in color so that when you then rinse them off it appears that your teeth have suddenly and miraculously become whiter whereas, in fact, they've just been black for two minutes.

Myth #4: Flossing Is More Effective Before Brushing

You should brush your teeth first to remove the larger load of bacteria from the mouth before flossing or cleaning between your teeth. That's simply because it's a more effective way of doing it.

Myth #5: Tongue Brushing is Useless

If you think of the tongue like a carpet with fronds where bacteria and food debris can live in, it's very important to keep it clean to help reduce bad breath, keep your mouth healthy. Scraping with the tongue scraper or brushing of the toothbrush is a great idea. The great thing about the ISSA 2 is that it has the tongue scraper very cleverly built into the head and then if you add the pulsation effect then it's going to clean an awful lot more and a lot deeper and that's a really clever feature. So yes, you should brush your tongue!   [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB8AWn7lzGE[/embed]  

Leave a comment

About text formats

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.
CAPTCHA
More articles
31 articles
A woman smiling holding an apple and a tooth brush
ORAL CARE

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Brushing Your Teeth

It’s time to brush up on your tooth brushing facts. Chances are, you don’t spend that much time thinking about brushing your teeth - it’s just something you do when you wake up and before you go to sleep. But the humble toothbrush is actually a pretty crucial part of our lives that does more
Various toothbrushes on a pink surface: from smallest to biggest
ORAL CARE

FOREO's ISSA™ Toothbrush - Leading the Charge Against Plastic

As FOREO celebrates its 10th Anniversary, we can't help but reflect on the brand's groundbreaking journey. A milestone happened with the launch of ISSA™, a game-changing innovation in oral health care.
Old toothbrushes
ORAL CARE

Brushing Your Teeth Is Ruining Your Gums

You're doing it wrong   Back in the days before modern medical science, our grandparents and great-grandparents struggled with gum recession, but that was mostly due to a lack of proper and consistent dental care, which led to gum disease (also called periodontal disease). Without enough brush
teeth and lipstick
ORAL CARE

Women Are at Greater Risk of Gum Disease

If you’re a woman (or a man lucky enough to cohabitate with one), then you know the power of female hormones   Progesterone is particularly powerful - it facilitates the menstrual cycle and pregnancy to make human life possible. It also makes life a lot more difficult for those who fall vict