Not flossing and brushing aren’t the only bad habits for teeth. We have highlighted the secret culprits responsible for ruining your teeth. Here are some terrible habits for your teeth, such as sipping sugary drinks and chewing ice chips.
To keep your smile beautiful and healthy, you may brush, floss, and visit the dentist frequently, but do you know which habits truly harm your teeth? Snacking on sugary foods in between meals is undoubtedly a harmful habit, but other habits harm teeth that are less visible. Do you do anything every day that puts your oral health at risk? Watch out for these harmful oral health habits.
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- Brushing Your Teeth and Gums Too Hard
There is a possibility of brushing your teeth too much. It is recommended by the American Dental Association (ADA) not to brush hard-bristled toothbrushes or brush too hard. You can prevent this by using a soft-bristled toothbrush and brushing your teeth in broad strokes.
- Biting Your Nails
If you need more motivation to stop biting your nails, consider the potential harm to your jaw and teeth. The ADA claims that nail biting can lead to jaw dysfunction, making you hold your jaw out for extended periods. Your teeth can also be chipped by nail biting.
- Chewing Ice
Do you unconsciously munch on the last ice crystals after finishing a cool, delicious drink? The ADA suggests drinking through a straw or sipping your beverages without ice to help break the habit if you don’t want to run the danger of damaging a tooth or filling.
- Teeth Grinding or Clenching
Although it is usually a subconscious habit, clenching and grinding the teeth can lead to tooth damage, muscle pain, and limited jaw movement. The ADA advises relaxing techniques, a nocturnal mouth guard, and attempting to be more conscious of when the clenching or grinding occurs to help prevent this damaging behaviour.
- Tobacco use
Experts claim that all tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars, and chewing tobacco, are bad for your teeth and gums. Smoking raises your risk of oral cancer, dental decay, dry mouth, poor breath, gum disease, and foul breath. Consult your doctor about programs that can assist you in quitting smoking.
- Sucking Your Thumb or Fingers
For infants, sucking thumbs or fingers is acceptable, but experts warn that the behaviour may lead to misaligned teeth after age five. This misalignment can cause major dental issues as the child ages. Your child’s physician or pediatric dentist can suggest weaning kids off thumb sucking if they are five years old or older and still sucking their thumbs or fingers.
- Using toothpicks
After a meal, you might believe it’s a good idea to remove food particles from your teeth with a toothpick or another non-dental device, but experts warn that this practice might harm and infect your gums. To get food out from between your teeth, use floss or a dental cleaning tool approved by professionals.
- Misuse of the teeth
According to the ADA, if you hold something in your teeth or open a box with your teeth, you run the danger of harming your jaw or developing a broken tooth. Don’t use your teeth as a pair of scissors or a third hand while performing your activity; instead, take your time.
- Having Sweet Treats for Snacks
According to the ADA, consuming high-sugar snacks in between meals feeds the oral bacteria that causes tooth decay. Eat balanced meals to reduce between-meal hunger, and if you eat something sweet, follow it up with plenty of water.
- Not going to the dentist.
Avoiding dental treatment might affect your oral health in addition to these habits that harm teeth. It’s simple to convince yourself that you’re too busy for a dental exam. Or the pain you occasionally experience when you bite down will go away on its own, but you should still schedule frequent dental check-ups. Please make an appointment with your dentist the next time you’re tempted to put it off.
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