You brush, floss, and go to the dentist on a regular basis, but do you know which habits actually harm your teeth? Snacking on sugary foods between meals is a bad habit that everyone is aware of, but some other bad habits that harm teeth are less obvious.
Bad Habits that are Causes of oral disease:
1. Nail Biting:
Nail biting may appear to be harmless; the only thing you are harming is your nails. Biting your nails, on the other hand, can result in chipped teeth and jaw dysfunction, as well as expose your mouth to bacteria under your nails. Paint your nails with bitter nail polish or practice stress management techniques to reduce this bad habit.
2. Using your teeth as tools:
When you use your teeth for something other than what they were designed for, such as opening a bottle or cutting off a price tag, you risk cracking your teeth or injuring your jaw. Keep real tools on hand, such as a bottle opener and scissors, to avoid the temptation to use your teeth.
3. Teeth Grinding / Bruxism:
Do you find yourself grinding your teeth during the day or waking up with a sore jaw in the morning? Teeth grinding not only wears down your teeth but also damages the enamel and exposes the inner layer of dentin, making your teeth more susceptible to sensitivity and decay.
4. Ice Cube Chewing:
Ice’s rigidity and cold temperature can fracture teeth and damage fillings and other dental restorations. To avoid this bad habit, drink chilled beverages without ice or through a straw.
5. Snacking Frequently:
When you eat, cavity-forming bacteria in your mouth feast on leftover food particles, producing acid that erodes your enamel and leads to decay. Rather than snacking frequently, eat balanced, protein-rich meals and drink plenty of water to wash away leftover food particles.
6. Sucking of the Thumb:
Thumb sucking by children after their permanent teeth have developed (around age 5-6) risks permanently altering their tooth and jaw structure. Keeping your children’s hands occupied is one way to wean them off their thumbs and allow their teeth to develop normally.
7. Brushing Too Hard:
Brushing your teeth aggressively can irritate the gums, cause gum recession, erode tooth enamel, and cause tooth sensitivity. To avoid brushing too hard, use a toothbrush with soft bristles and replace it every 3-4 months.
8. Use of Toothpicks:
Picking food debris out of your teeth after a meal may seem like a good idea, but poking around in your mouth with toothpicks or other non-dental implements can result in damaged, infected gums. To remove food stuck between your teeth, it is advised to use floss or use a dental cleaning tool.
9. Bottles for bedtime:
Many parents overlook this. Giving a baby a bottle of juice or milk before bed can lead to tooth decay. This is due to the baby’s mouth absorbing all of the sugars in the drink overnight. It’s usually best to stick to water in the bottles or simply keep the bottles away from the crib.
10. Smoking:
Cigarette smoking not only harms your heart and lungs, but it also harms your oral health. Smoking increases your risk of gum disease and causes tooth discoloration, bad breath, taste loss, tooth decay, tooth loss, and oral cancer.
11. Drinking excessively:
Alcohol dries out the mouth, preventing saliva from washing away bacteria, causing bad breath, and increasing the likelihood of developing cavities. Furthermore, because alcohol is acidic, it wears away the enamel.
Skipping your Dental Checkup is a Bad Habit:
Along with these tooth-damaging habits, avoiding preventive dental care can have an impact on your oral health. It’s easy to convince yourself that you’re too busy for a dental checkup, or that the twinge of pain you feel whenever you bite down will go away on its own, but don’t delay seeing your dentist. Make the effort to schedule a dental appointment the next time you’re tempted to put it off.
