We’ve all heard a few urban legends and myths, like ‘Chewing gum takes 7 years to dissolve in your stomach’. Like that particularly unsettling myth that underestimates the human digestive system, dental healthcare is plagued by a variety of half-truths and fables that are absolutely baseless, but many of us still believe what our parents or friends said to scare us!
Dental myths have been around as long as dentists have!
If anything, dozens of organizations have researched myths centered on a visit to the dentist and found some of them to be completely the opposite. In fact, you may well have been putting off an important treatment because of something you heard as a child, which can cause you a great deal of pain and trouble in the future.
Here’s a list of some common myths related to dental treatments, and the reality about them:
- Getting My Teeth Cleaned by a Dentist Will Make Them SensitiveYour teeth are well-protected, covered one of the strongest substances found in the human body – enamel. Sensitivity is primarily caused by exposure of dentine, the soft part of the tooth. Another common cause is a receding or diseased gum, which directly exposes the lower part of the tooth (which doesn’t have any enamel).Dentists use specially-designed blunt instruments that vibrate to shake off any build-ups, to minimize the erosion of the enamel. The truth is that you’re most likely to develop sensitivity in your teeth by brushing too vigorously or using too hard a toothbrush, not by getting your teeth cleaned at the dentist’s!
- Teeth Cleaning Can Make My Teeth LooseTeeth are not held in place by the ‘gunk’ between them, like plaque and tartar, as they’re actually anchored in the jawbone. When they’ve been cleaned and the build-up of plaque, tartar or bits of food (yes, those can get stuck where you can’t reach them) removed, the tooth may feel a little loose for a while, but that’s completely natural.In fact, tartar can bind teeth together unnaturally and cause your gums to become inflamed, to a point where they might need to be cut back. The slight mobility after cleaning is necessary, so the support structures around your teeth
have an opportunity to re-align and recover. - Teeth Cleaning Can Create Gaps Between My Teeth/Cause Blood LossTartar gradually builds up on your teeth and fills in any gaps in between them. Your tongue is a very sensitive organ and when you get your teeth cleaned, it suddenly discovers gaps where the tartar has been removed. This newly-discovered space is often thought to be damage caused by the cleaning.Nothing could be further from the truth! Your teeth naturally have a slight gap and these spaces only become apparent because of the sudden removal of the tartar that was stuck between them. When it comes to blood, there is next to none, unless you have an infected gum which was already bleeding before the procedure.
- Root Canals are Extremely Painful and Time-ConsumingRoot canals are pretty invasive and involve removing damaged tissue inside the tooth. The myth about them being excruciatingly painful would definitely have been true a couple decades back, because dentists back then didn’t have the sophisticated equipment and technology that’s the norm nowadays.Modern dental procedures and significant advances in anesthetics as well as tools have made root canals much less painful than they used to be. The other benefit from advancing technology is the ‘single-sitting root canal’, which cuts down the time and discomfort to a single dental visit.
- Bleaching Can Weaken My TeethWhen you get your teeth whitened by a dental expert, they use a weak peroxide solution. Unless it’s done too often, tooth whitening only removes stains and discoloration from the surface of your teeth, without affecting their strength or health. Rest assured that getting your teeth whitened at the dentist’s is quite safe and won’t ruin your teeth!There are a variety of products available for bleaching teeth (even in retail stores or at your local pharmacy), but dentists do not recommend these ‘DIY kits’. Bleaching should be done in moderation as it can cause sensitivity and weaken the enamel if it’s used excessively.
- If I Have My Upper Teeth Removed, I’ll Go Blind/Removing Lower Teeth Will Lead to Loss of VoiceThese particular dental myths should be quite apparently false, and of course, they have been completely disproven. Common sense should tell you that the eyes function on the basis of the optic nerves and your voice comes out of your vocal chords, which are both in no way dependent on the teeth, but hearing this fable in the schoolyard did give many of us a delicious shiver of fear, didn’t it?
Most dental procedure today are almost painless and aided by technological advancements, the chances of any complications arising are also much lower. While it’s unclear how and when these myths originated, one thing is for sure – they’ve been busted and completely debunked.
So if you’ve been putting off the visit to a dentist because of something you’ve heard or read about, think again. Better yet, ask the experts at Monarch Dental Clinic.
Minor problems that aren’t dealt with in time might require major surgery later. Call us at +917016730440, and we’ll be glad to answer all your questions. Trust us, we’ve already heard it all!