Gag reflex when brushing your teeth: 5 tips to get rid of it.

February 10, 2019

Are you familiar with the situation of gag reflex when brushing your teeth? This phenomenon is extremely unpleasant, and due to the fact that thorough oral hygiene must be carried out every day, for some it becomes real torture and even forces them to periodically refuse mandatory procedures, which subsequently provokes the development of serious dental diseases. But it’s too early to get discouraged; the editors of the UltraSmile.ru portal will give you some useful recommendations that will help minimize the urge to vomit and make care more enjoyable.

How to deal with the gag reflex when brushing your teeth?

Tip #1: Determine the source of the problem and change your cleaning tactics

Let's start with the fact that if a gag reflex occurs when brushing your teeth, this usually means one of the body's protective reactions to an external irritant. This reaction is unconditional, which means you cannot control it. Therefore, you first need to find out why you feel sick when brushing your teeth.

Let's look at the main reasons:

incorrect technique for cleaning teeth and gums: perhaps you press too hard on the brush or push it too deeply into the oral cavity, for example, when trying to clean your tongue (there are a large number of receptors on the root of the tongue, and accordingly, exposure to it causes involuntary spasms). And excessive mechanical pressure causes resistance and a negative reaction of the body,

Improper brushing technique can cause problems
toothpaste contains dyes, flavors and preservatives: a reaction can occur at the level of sensations (irritation of taste, tactile, olfactory receptors), i.e. your body will reject unpleasant or dangerous foods that have a characteristic smell or taste. Also, the cause of the problem may be an allergy to the components of the paste,
Negative experience: Some researchers believe that the gag reflex when brushing teeth may have psychological causes. Most often, in this case, it occurs in children, for example, if the children have previously had negative experiences with dentists or they simply do not like the procedure of daily and mandatory oral hygiene, and their parents force them to do this from a young age. Therefore, try from the very beginning to accustom your child to hygiene in a playful way, and not through coercion, so that the baby develops a positive attitude and a positive experience becomes established,

Teach your child hygiene from an early age
colds: inflammation of the nasopharynx increases the sensitivity of the mucous membrane, root of the tongue, tonsils (for example, with tonsillitis),
general weakness: even under stress and strain at work, you may experience an unpleasant symptom,
the presence of bad habits: no one will argue with the fact that when smoking (nicotine and tar derivatives again accumulate on the root of the tongue and the walls of the nasopharynx) or alcohol abuse, the human body already receives a sufficient dose of intoxication, and manipulations carried out while brushing teeth , serve as a kind of catalyst, provoking the gag reflex,
diseases of the gastrointestinal tract: then vomiting will be accompanied by upset stool, pain in the abdomen and stomach, heartburn, the appearance of a white or yellow coating on the tongue,
pregnancy: often the problem occurs in women due to the development of toxicosis.

Pregnancy often causes nausea

“I used to wonder: why do I feel bitter in my mouth and feel sick when I brush my teeth in the morning? When I went to see a therapist, took tests and was examined, it turned out that I had cholecystitis. It turns out that with this disease there is stagnation of bile, so in the morning when trying to brush your teeth, a strong gag reflex occurs. I was cured and now there is no such problem. So don’t guess, but immediately go to the doctor and get examined quickly.”
Maria Karpova, review from 32top.ru

Improper procedure

If nausea and vomiting (this applies to both men and women) are observed only when touching certain areas of the mucous membrane or outer teeth, watch yourself: the reason may be hidden in the wrong approach to the cleaning process.
How do we usually brush our teeth? Actively, with effort, trying to remove plaque as effectively as possible.
But! Applying force will not bring results; rather, on the contrary: it will contribute to abrasion of the enamel and cause nausea. The sensations are especially unpleasant when the brush touches the root of the tongue.

You should clean your teeth correctly: press moderately, but do not forget to go through all zones:

outer surface of crowns;
internal part;
chewing surface.

Try to massage your gums so that they receive blood flow and, accordingly, adequate nutrition.

An incorrectly selected brush - hard, rough, too large - also causes the person performing the hygiene procedure to feel sick.

Tip #3: Choose a good toothpaste and the right brush

It is better to consult a dentist regarding the choice of hygiene products, who will select them based on your situation. For example, people who are prone to nausea during oral hygiene are advised to choose brushes with a small head and medium bristles; it is better to give preference to mechanical rather than electric or ultrasonic. The brush should also have a separate surface for cleaning the tongue; you should not clean it with regular bristles. If the brush does not have such a surface, then additionally purchase a special scraper.

Selecting the right brush and paste will help get rid of the problem.

Read an article on our website about the rating of the best toothbrushes.

As for the paste, its composition will help answer the question of why a gag reflex appears when you brush your teeth: a negative reaction of the body can be caused by an increased fluoride content or components that provide strong foaming, dyes and flavors. Fluoride, which is contained in many toothpastes, is not equally beneficial for everyone; if it is in excess, poisoning and intoxication of the body can occur, and dental fluorosis can occur. Therefore, choose only products that suit you, choose formulations that have a neutral smell, taste and color. For children, it is better to completely avoid pastes containing fluoride until they reach 7-10 years of age. Also, do not forget about the recommendations of toothpaste manufacturers - to brush your teeth, only one pea of the composition is enough, so you should not squeeze more of it out of the tube.

“Before, I constantly experienced nausea when brushing my teeth, and the problem was especially painful in the morning. I read that you can save yourself with mint decoctions, because... mint dulls the sensitivity of receptors located on the tongue. Therefore, in the evening I always drink tea with mint and it helps a lot. And in the morning I try to do everything quickly, with minimal pressure on the teeth and mucous membranes.”
Olga, Kirov, from correspondence on woman.ru

Reviews

Often readers share their methods of dealing with the problem. If you also have something to tell, leave reviews about your methods of getting rid of gag reflexes while brushing your teeth.

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Tags: gag reflex, brushing teeth

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Tip #4: Be positive

The fact is that some people who have already experienced a gag reflex while brushing their teeth, and even more so have vomited, unconsciously begin to fear a repetition of the situation, i.e. their central nervous system is triggered. And fear itself triggers a reaction in the body, which, coupled with a mechanical effect on the tongue, leads to nausea. So first of all, try to calm down. Sometimes a change of environment can achieve a positive effect: for example, for a while you can try to carry out the procedure in the kitchen rather than in the bath. Preparation for the procedure also helps you get rid of fear: take three deep breaths and exhale through your nose. And during the procedure itself, try to breathe mainly through your nose.

What measures should be taken if nausea occurs when brushing?

Keep in mind! The first thing you need to do is understand the cause and get rid of it.

Below is a list of what you can and should do :

Choose the optimal toothbrush size.
Use pasta without pungent odors or strong flavors.
Determine the area, touching which leads to gagging.
Do not place the toothbrush deep in the mouth.
Get rid of a negative attitude before cleaning.

Tip #5: Don't brush your teeth right after eating

You should especially not do this immediately after a very heavy snack and on a full stomach. After eating food, simply rinse your mouth with water or a special rinse, and only after at least half an hour can you begin to thoroughly clean your tongue, teeth and gums.

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prevention

Consulting specialist

Kashaeva Victoria Nikolaevna

Specialization: Dental hygienist Experience: 7 years

Smoking

Do you like to indulge in a cigarette? Please note: among the consequences of this dangerous hobby are not only diseases that everyone knows about but prefer not to think about (lung cancer, lip cancer). There is another side, although not so scary, but it can make adjustments to your morning self-care rituals and complicate their implementation. It is difficult to simply brush your teeth: you feel faint. Reason: when clearing plaque, smokers develop bad breath - this causes the urge to vomit.

What to do? Stop smoking. Otherwise, brushing your teeth will become increasingly difficult.

Comments

When I brush my teeth, I often experience a gag reflex. But once there was even vomiting of blood, how dangerous is this and can it indicate pathologies in the body?

Rita (02/25/2019 at 01:42 pm) Reply to comment

Editorial staff of the portal UltraSmile.ru (02/28/2019 at 10:38 am) Reply to comment

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Reflex severity

The gag reflex manifests itself in different ways. It is better to choose remedies to help cope with it depending on the severity.

Mild degree

It usually does not cause serious problems during dental treatment. You can deal with it using the following methods:

When the gag reflex is psychological in nature, the dentist can simply distract the patient. To reduce your stress levels, you can refocus your attention the night before your doctor's visit.
If the gag reflex is caused by touching the mucous membranes, the doctor protects them with a rubber dam. This is a latex sheet that the dentist uses to cover the mucous membrane. This way it protects it from contact with foreign objects. The rubber dam also allows you to isolate soft tissue from the diseased tooth, providing additional protection.
Anesthesia. Anesthetic drugs help not only relieve pain in the mouth. They have a freezing effect, the mucous membrane becomes less sensitive.

Average degree

It is very important here to reassure the patient and reduce his anxiety. Regular local anesthesia will not have the desired effect, since it only numbs the pain. Using general anesthesia in such cases is not always justified.

Sedation helps cope well with the problem of fear and nausea. The patient is given nitrous oxide to inhale through a mask. He falls into a relaxed state, but is fully conscious. This is the advantage of sedation over anesthesia, since the contact between the dentist and the patient is completely preserved.

Severe degree

It is not always possible to cope with nausea to such an extent with conventional sedatives. Such cases are an indication for the use of general anesthesia.