Are You Brushing Too Hard?

As far as brushing our teeth goes, we know to do it twice a day. But how long and how hard should we be brushing? Does brushing harder remove more plaque? 

Brushing too hard won't remove any more plaque than if you brushed gently. In fact, it will only leave you worse off. “Too much of a good thing isn't good,” says Rutherford, NJ, cosmetic dentist Lee Frost, DDS. “In general, dentists recommend you brush your teeth twice a day, but not many caution against the dangers of overbrushing and applying too much pressure, which can actually wear away your enamel, leaving you with thin, supersensitive teeth. Brushing too hard also puts you at risk of brushing away gum tissues that covers the top part of your teeth, causing your gums to shrink back.” 

But just how hard is too hard? According to a study at Newcastle University, the ideal pressure is comparable to the weight of an orange. The study concluded that people who brush their teeth harder than this, for more than two minutes didn't remove any additional plaque. 

On average, how many times a day do you brush?