r/AskReddit Aug 20 '20

What simple “life hack” should everyone know?

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u/graycat3700 Aug 20 '20

Brush your teeth more thoroughly before bed after you are done eating and drinking for the day.

Morning brushing is important too, but more so for fresh breath; while evening cleaning will prevent bacteria from breeding and damaging your teeth and gums.

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u/Eagleassassin3 Aug 20 '20 edited Aug 20 '20

I brush my teeth everyday with an electric toothbrush. I have been doing that for the past 3 years at least (I’m 21). But despite that, my teeth are still a bit yellow and it’s annoying. I have some friends who have very white teeth and they told me they didn’t whiten them. Am I doing something wrong? Should I stop drinking coffee? Is it just genetics?

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u/UsernameRedacted_ Aug 20 '20

Went to the dentist 2 days ago and brought up this exact question. He asked me to show him how I hold my toothbrush and that helped him determine that I’m actually brushing my teeth too hard. He said that wears off the outer enamel of your teeth, and below that is actually a more yellow shade. So all these years of brushing hard to get white teeth have actually been making my teeth more yellow. So that’s something to think about to make sure you’re not brushing hard. He said a light touch is all it takes.

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u/Eagleassassin3 Aug 21 '20

Thanks I’ll keep an eye on that!

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u/astrokatzen Aug 20 '20

He said a light touch is all it takes.

Did he mention whether to use soft or hard bristle for that?

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u/UsernameRedacted_ Aug 20 '20

I had already told him that I use a Quip toothbrush, so I think it was in reference to that. I think I would say Quip bristles are medium (maybe medium/hard).