Is there such a thing as brushing too often? The short answer is yes. When you brush, you remove food, bacteria, and debris off of your tooth's enamel. However, you also brush away some microscopic bits of your tooth.

This is why you constantly need new calcium, minerals, and vitamins to revitalize your teeth. Your body adds minerals to your teeth through your saliva. However, if you are brushing too often, you can be washing those necessary nutrients away before they can do any good.

How Often You Need to Be Brushing

Most dentists recommend that you brush two times each day. You should brush once in the morning prior to eating, and once before bed, prior to sleeping for the night. If you occasionally run out of time for one of those times, it usually won't do much damage, so long as it is a rarity.

The same goes if you occasionally brush one extra time now and again, say, after a Philly cheese steak with onions and peppers for lunch? If you only do it rarely, it should be alright.

Brushing after every single meal is not good for your teeth. You need to allow your mouth to recover after eating and drinking. Your mouth does this by flooding your mouth with fresh saliva. It neutralizes acids, washes out a lot of the food particles, and helps to put minerals from your food into your mouth. Brushing too often can keep your teeth from being as strong and healthy as they could, and should be.

For more information on brushing and how it may be affecting your oral health, contact our office today. They can explain to you what, if anything, needs to change about your oral health routine, and how to perfect your oral hygiene regimen.