Keeping your teeth healthy takes more than just brushing, flossing, and regular check-ups at your dental centre. Many of the things you do every day can actually harm your teeth. Here are five things to avoid to keep your teeth healthy and strong:
Aggressive Brushing and Cleaning
It might seem the harder you scrub your teeth, the whiter they will appear. Unfortunately, aggressive brushing can cause damage to your teeth and lead to sensitivity and receding gum lines. Gentle brushing twice a day is all it takes to keep teeth clean and healthy in hand with daily flossing. Toothpicks are a trusty tool to remove food trapped between teeth for centuries. However, much like brushing, if you are too aggressive using a toothpick, it can hurt your teeth and gums. Opt for floss instead.
Cutting Action
Your teeth are not intended to be used as scissors. From opening packages to cutting a piece of thread, reach for the scissors instead to avoid cracks and damage to the enamel, this includes nail-biting.
Sugar
Sugary foods and drinks are never good for your teeth. Sugar produces acids that lead to bacteria. Sugary soft drinks are just as bad as candy. In fact, if you love to chomp on ice when you finish your drinks, stop. This can wear down your teeth and lead to serious damage.
Clenched Jaw and Teeth Grinding
One of the reasons it is good to schedule annual dental check-ups at your dental centre is that your dentist can look for signs of clenching and teeth grinding. You might be doing this and not even realize it. This can lead to some serious damage, including micro fractures. If you think you might be clenching and grinding, your dentist can provide a mouth guard to keep your teeth protected.
Oral Piercings
Having any form of oral piercing can be troublesome for your teeth. This includes lip, tongue and uvula piercings. Scrapes and scratches can occur due to the metal or even plastic of the jewelry worn. You can also damage restorations and gums.
Chewing on Ice
It might feel refreshing to chew on ice cubes during those scorching hot heat waves, but those frozen cubes can end up damaging your teeth if you’re not careful. The abrasive action can cause cracks, chips and can even impact the soft tissue within teeth. When you need something to cool you down, stick to water instead to safeguard your teeth.
Playing Sports Without Using a Mouth Guard
Contact sports, such as hockey, soccer, football, or rugby, often involve aggressive play that can impact your teeth. Bodily contact or a sudden puck to the face can lead to broken teeth or complete tooth loss. Always wear a mouthguard before stepping out onto the rink or field. You can get self-fitting guards or talk to your dentist about custom mould guards that will fit more comfortably over your teeth.
Sucking on Thumb
It’s never too early to form good habits for a healthy smile. And for many children, sucking their thumb is a soothing habit formed out of comfort. But over time, that pressure placed behind the upper teeth can pull them out of alignment and eventually cause an overbite, which may require braces to fix once they are older. To avoid this, encourage your children to stop sucking their thumbs as soon as possible to minimize future dental problems.
Cough Drops
Even though they are often seen as a soothing form of medicine for sore throats, cough drops are filled with sugar. Sucking or chewing on a cough drop causes the same reaction as chewing on candy – it encourages plaque and bacteria, which can weaken tooth enamel and lead to cavities. Try to stick with tea to soothe an irritated throat instead.
Fruit Juice
Unfortunately, fruit juice is another common item we consume, thinking it will benefit our health when it can actually do the very opposite. Many fruit juices have just as much sugar as soda. When you want a nutritious boost, look for fruit juices that have no added sugar or add water to dilute them.
Not Drinking Enough Water
Staying hydrated is essential for our overall health and wellbeing. It’s also imperative for our oral health. As we consume food during the day, food particles get stuck in between our teeth and gum line. If those food particles aren’t removed, bacteria will thrive and coat the teeth. By drinking lots of water each day, it will keep flushing and rinsing your mouth, keeping it cleaner, fresher, and healthier.
Knowing that these every day habits can harm your teeth can help you avoid them in the future. Contact us at Carlingwood Dental to schedule an appointment today. Our team is ready to provide the care you need to restore your teeth and provide advice to help you avoid damaging your teeth.
