Regular brushing and flossing are important steps to maintaining good oral health. However, they’re not enough if you practice bad habits that affect your mouth, teeth, and gums. These detrimental oral habits can negate any effort you may make to maintain regular checkups by your dentist. To protect your teeth and gums from harm, start kicking these bad habits.
Eating and Drinking Improperly
If you’re one of those people who loves the sound and feel of crunching on leftover ice from your soda or iced tea, then you’re putting the health of your teeth at risk. The combination of cold temperature and the brittleness of ice can fracture enamel, causing the surface of teeth to crack. Instead of ice cubes, try choosing crushed or shaved ice in your drinks.
Moreover, soda poses a terrible risk to your teeth with its excessive sugar and acid content; sipping it exposes the enamel to such elements. To somewhat ease exposure to your teeth, use a straw and position it toward the back of the mouth. This way, the liquid doesn’t contact as much of your gums or teeth as it would while swilling.
Turning Your Teeth Into a Tool
Many use their teeth to open a bag of chips, remove a clothing’s price tag, or uncap a bottle of nail polish. This bad habit can traumatize your teeth, weakening and exposing them to the risk of fracture. If you continue doing it, the edge of your teeth may eventually chip off. So, avoid using your teeth as scissors or pliers.
Teeth Grinding
Grinding your teeth wears them down, possibly leading to bigger problems. Though this habit may be caused by stress, anxiety, and missing or crooked teeth–factors outside of your immediate control–there are ways to mitigate damage. Dentists in Greenville, SC recommend mouthguards to protect your teeth from the impact grinding makes. If the habit is caused by stress and anxiety, you need to address them by reducing caffeine intake and alcohol consumption, joining an exercise program, or attaining professional counsel.
These are only some of the bad habits you must stop to ensure excellent oral health. They aren’t easy to quit, but that’s why you need to find a reliable dentist in Greenville, SC who can help you eliminate them.
Source:
Do You Have These 5 Bad Dental Habits?, webmd.com
Common Dental Health Troublemakers, everydayhealth.com