Brushing your teeth, flossing regularly, and seeing your dentist at least twice a year for checkups are the primary dental care you should practise. What you probably didn’t know is that there are some other unhealthy dental habits that you should change to keep your teeth in optimal health. Overlooking these unhealthy habits can undermine the good ones and compromise your dental health.
Chewing Ice
While this may seem a reasonably harmless habit, it can severely damage your teeth. The combination of the cold and hard surfaces from the ice cubes can lead to microscopic fractures in the tooth. While you may not be able to realise this soon, you will begin to experience the consequences of it later on as the condition of your teeth can deteriorate. Crushed ice cubes may seem a better option to switch, but they still have the same effect.
Clenching or Grinding
Grinding or clenching your teeth can wear them down over time leading to gum recession that could require surgical treatment. If you feel you clench or grind your teeth while asleep, talk to your dentist about getting a customised night guard. It will protect the teeth from any pressure and erosion resulting from clenching or grinding. Some may also unintentionally clench or grind their teeth because of stress and anxiety. If that’s the case, you may have to find healthy ways to relieve the stress.
Eating Too Much Sugar
Your diet affects the teeth as much as the rest of the body. Suppose you have a diet heavy on sugary drinks and food; you’re putting more sugar in your teeth than they can naturally eliminate. Constantly feeding on sugar-laden food can create serious problems like plaque buildup in the mouth. Instead, try to switch to fresh fruits and vegetables and low-fat dairy foods, which can provide your teeth with the required nutrients.
Using Your Teeth as a Tool
Regardless of whether you’re using the teeth to clip your nails, open something, or even tear off a price tag, you risk damaging the teeth. Never use your teeth instead of a tool that can do the job safely. Even if you may not see the damage right away, the ongoing stress on the teeth can weaken and damage them over time before you even know it.
Brushing Too Hard
While it may seem like brushing too hard can get your teeth cleaned better, applying too much pressure on the teeth is never a good idea. Of course, that goes without saying that you should also never use a hard toothbrush. Brushing too hard, may inadvertently wear down and erode the enamel that protects your teeth. This exposes the roots of the teeth, causing sensitivity and making it easier for bacteria to damage the teeth while also encouraging the gum tissues to erode.
Most unhealthy dental habits will take time to show unpleasant aesthetic and functional signs. But if you make regular visits to a dental clinic, at least once in 3 months, your dentist can diagnose any unhealthy dental habits beforehand and guide you through preventative measures.
