excessive brushing ruinning my life

[danybrit]

Hi i have been looking for help with dentists here in Venezuela but nobody takes me seriously ,i tend to brush my teeth more than 30 minutes ,morning and aftenoon and more than an hour at night ,also a lot of flossing everytime i brush.My gums are reciding i can notice that ,but i have a feeling inside  of me that tells me to do it in order to avoid cavities,my problem has gone to far that i spend almost all day long in a bathroom and everytime i have to miss a brushing i carry with me dental floss and a toothbrush.

This has become a matter of compulsive brushing for me,i feel very scare everytime i dont brush and tend to get chills through my body just for the fact of thinking that i missed a spot on the brushing.I even brush with more than 10 different brushes for every part of the mouth.
I  am not writting here to get the perfect solution but sometimes it's easier for me to write it down than telling a dentist what is going on(besides from the fact that i have already told her).
Please my question is for a professional who can answer this ,how much is enought ,how do i know,what happens if i dont brush for one day long ,i mean i have been brushing like this for more than 3 years after i got 3 cavities .I dont know how much is enough because even after brushing i feel like i need more.

I also make sure that there isnt a tiny bit of food in any place ,so that is my next question .AM i going to get a cavity if ,for example ,i brush and then i feel a tinyyyy bit of food in my mouth(because the checking is making me crazy,SO DO all this)

Thank you any
help welcome
daniel

[alena_ibarro]

they are right...twice or thrice a day of brushing ur teeth is enough including using dental floss...dont be afraid of getting cavities as long as u know that u brush ur teeth in a proper way and time....if u want u can also use mouthwashto make sure u prevent or avoid decay and tartar...i suggest efferdent, steradent or polident....have u heard any of the three??

[danybrit]

thanks guys you have been very helpful to me.
daniel

[MLWTR]

Just to answer your question about visiting a mental health specialist, it's great that you have recognized what you're doing, because it will make it easier for you to learn to control it and get better. But it's still really hard to stop on your own. A psychiatrist can help you learn ways to cope better.

Just because you know what you're doing doesn't mean that you're not deserving of help. After all, you'd still see a doctor to treat a dog bite or a case of chickenpox or whatever even though you knew what you had. It's just the same with mental health problems. Somehow it seems scarier to many people to go to a psychologist or psychiatrist or other type of counselor than to see a family doctor. But it's really just the same: you go because you have a problem that's bothering you, and they help you to treat the problem so that you can feel better and have a happier life.

I hope you feel better soon!

[danybrit]

thanks for your answer ,i wish i could do it right.Any other help will be welcome

daniel
would it be right to visit a mental doctor,even though im aware of what im doing

another question,if by any chance a tiny bit of food remains in my mouth can it form cavities ,even after flossing and brushing?,i say this because my gum at the back of my tooth(the one that appears after the age of 18)is overlaping the tooth causing tiny food remains to get stuck there,that is why i am always checking those parts

thanks
daniel

[MLWTR]

Sometimes behaviors that are repeated over and over (like washing your hands or brushing your teeth) to the point that they are starting to interfere with your daily life can be a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). If you would like to try and treat this, it might be helpful to see a psychologist or psychiatrist. Therapy and medication can be very helpful for this type of problem.

Best of luck.

[Jerome Bogin, D.D.S.]

Dear Daniel, brushing twice a day with an electric brush and flossing once a day is a regiment that will serve you well. Brushing as excessively as you do is causing more damage than is necessary. Plaque forms every 24 hours(plaque is a film of oral bacteria that remains on your.
teeth until removed with brushing and flossing)