Common Habits That Can Harm Your Teeth
Avoid these dental hazards!
Did you know that you may be harming your teeth without even being aware of it? If you eat a lot of lemons (really, some do!) or suck your fingers or thumbs a lot, you could be damaging your smile. Even biting your nails can be problematic for the teeth. We all know doing it makes your nails look bad, but would you have ever thought it could also harm your smile?
Here at Abbey Road Dental in St John’s Wood, we thought you might find it really useful to know some of the key habits you may have that could be damaging your teeth without you knowing about it. Some might have an instant damaging effect, others could damage your teeth over time. Either way, the more you know, the more control you have over the damage they do. So it makes sense that our NW8 clinic would inform you of these issues, simply because we are always trying to help you make the best choices for your overall oral health.
Sucking Your Thumb Or Fingers Constantly
Children who suck on a dummy past the age of two, or who suck fingers or thumbs continually after the age of two may suffer from their teeth being misaligned into adulthood. Most commonly the child will have an anterior bite, which is where the front teeth do not touch but the back teeth do. The child may need orthodontic treatment for this and could have other related issues because of it.
Grinding The Teeth
Grinding the teeth, or in fact clenching the jaw is a common response many people have when they get stressed. The problem is, doing this can damage existing dental work and it can also cause fractures in the teeth. If you do this as a conscious habit, its time to stop. If you think you do it in your sleep (bruxism) please discuss this with us at your next appointment – there are lots of things we can do to help.
Brushing Too Vigorously
Brushing your teeth is good, but brushing too hard is damaging to the teeth as is can damage enamel, the gums and cause teeth sensitivity. Speak to us at your next Abbey Road Dental appointment if you would like advice on brushing techniques.
Chewing Ice
Crushing ice with your teeth can be seriously damaging. Just think about how strong your blender needs to be to blend the stuff, then think about crushing it with your teeth. And yet lots of us do it!
Using The Teeth For Jobs They Weren’t Designed To Do
Breaking sellotape off, pulling a clothing tag off, opening plastic bottle tops – these are all things many people do with their teeth. The thing is, your teeth are there to help you talk, smile and eat properly, so using them for anything else will always be risky.
Holding Things With The Teeth
Holding pens, glasses, cutlery – anything between your teeth that isn’t meant to be there, can damage them. Biting down on anything that isn’t food can cause existing dental work to break, and can cause damage to the teeth in general.
Biting The Nails
Biting your nails makes your hands look a little disheveled, but it can also be an issue for your teeth as it may cause them to move, break or wear down.
Eating Lemons
Eating or sucking lemons is a real issue for the teeth as they are so highly acidic. This is a problem for some pregnant women who find they have cravings for sour things like lemons.
Drinking Sugary Drinks
This is something we all know, but if you have always drunk sugary drinks (particularly fizzy drinks) you may have forgotten the damage they are doing to your body. They are highly acidic and the sugar will be having a negative effect on your body, but it will also be affecting your teeth because of all the acid.
Want To Know More?
If you would like to know more about how to protect your teeth from common habits, or you just need to book an appointment, or enquire about any of our professional services, please give us a call on 02076241603 and we will be more than happy to help.