Martin Smith handles the online media for Horsham Dentist Dental Healthcare Practice, a family practice based in Sussex – providing beautiful smiles to customers for over 25 years.
There are a number of standard dental procedures you can carry out daily to help prevent plaque build-up. However, brushing, flossing and getting regular dental check-ups won’t stop you from adopting all kinds of potentially harmful habits for your teeth.
In order to keep your smile in the best possible shape once and for all, it’s time to get rid of those troublesome habits and take even better care of your dental health. Here are five bad habits you should look to avoid at all costs:
Brushing Too Hard
If you think brushing your teeth as roughly as possible will make them even cleaner, you are much mistaken. You’re far more likely to cause future problems such as gum irritation and sensitive teeth, while you’ll also be speeding up the process of eroding tooth enamel.
Many types of toothpaste contain abrasives that can cause damage when used in large quantities, so if you are brushing too hard, you’ll basically be sandpapering your teeth. Always check to see how abrasive toothpaste is before purchasing it. When it comes to brushing your teeth, you only need to brush gently for around two minutes a time, morning and evening.
Grinding Teeth
Constantly grinding teeth can result in damage. It is quite common for many of us to grind our teeth as a result of stress or hectic lifestyles. By putting unnecessary pressure on teeth in this way you are also risking other health problems, such as headaches, neck ache and back pain.
Grinding teeth has become a much more serious problem over the years as humanity adopts a far more hectic and work-related lifestyle. You can stop yourself from grinding your teeth by chewing sugar-free gum occasionally or by ensuring you take regular breaks from any stressful working environments.
Using Your Teeth as Tools
Your teeth are designed for one specific purpose which is to contribute to the digestive system. They are not meant for opening bottles or chewing fingernails. If you are constantly using your teeth to open cans or other solid objects, you’re likely to cause further unnecessary damage to your teeth.
Teeth often struggle to deal with the stress put on them from chewing certain foods, let alone hard objects. If you find yourself chewing your fingernails regularly, stopping this habit can also help prevent gradual tooth damage.
Crunching Ice
It’s often hard to resist the temptation to crunch on the ice we get in our drinks. However, ice can cause gradual damage to teeth as a result of this crunching. It’s quite easy for teeth to chip or even crack as a result of crunching ice, so avoid it at all costs.
Ice is sometimes seen as a craving by many, so it’s important that you speak to your dentist about the dangers of chewing ice if this is the case for you. What’s more, it has been persistently claimed that there is a link between crunching ice and iron deficiency.
Only Use a Toothbrush or Dental Floss When Cleaning Teeth
Using any implement or object other than a toothbrush means you can quite easily damage your teeth. Toothbrushes have been specially designed with light bristles to apply the ideal amount of pressure onto our teeth when used, while floss has also been specially designed to gently get between teeth to remove any stubborn plaque.
If you start poking at your teeth with other objects such as toothpicks or pins, you’re far more likely to cause damage to teeth enamel and your gums, while you may even create wider spaces between teeth. This means more food is able to build up and enhance the process of tooth decay.
There are many other things you can do to help prevent damage to your teeth and keep your smile looking as good as ever. If you play physical sports often, always make sure you use a mouth guard. While it may be a struggle trying to deal with bad habits, it could be what’s stopping you from acquiring the happy and healthy smile you’re after.