There are a lot of things people believe about dental health and hygiene, several myths rolling around. But the question is: do these beliefs hold truth? Here are a few dental beliefs that are not true.

Don’t brush if your gums are bleeding.

Gums bleed due to an inflammation caused by plaque on the teeth. The only way to have non-bleeding gums is to remove the plaque so that the gums can heal

Eating too much sugar causes tooth decay

It’s not about how much sugar you eat, its about how long the sugar sits on your teeth. Not brushing your teeth after eating sugar is where the danger lies.

Cavities hurt - so if my teeth don’t hurt, they must be okay.

Decay can kill the nerve in the tooth so even big cavities won’t hurt, furthermore, cavities are under the surface so you usually don’t see them.

Chewing aspirin can stop a toothache

Aspirin on your gums will actually burn them, furthermore aspirin cannot enter the tooth by chewing, only by swallowing the pill.

If your teeth are white, then they are healthy

White teeth can also be unhealthy and vice versa, yellow teeth can be healthy. Tooth decay is not related to tooth color, and gum disease can lurk behind white teeth.

Bad breath means you have bad oral hygiene.

While bad oral hygiene can be the cause of bad breath, it is not the only cause. Bad breath can also be caused by illnesses and certain medicine.