How You’re Damaging Your Teeth
When making goals for the New Year, don’t forget to include your goals around oral health. We have gathered 7 habits that people tend to have that are generally not good for your teeth.
- Eating in the late evening: This habit is a notorious one for people that gain weight. Not only is this a bad habit for your figure, but it is one that also harms your teeth. The reason why is because it doesn’t give enough time for the saliva in our mouth to wash away the food particles left on our teeth. While we are sleeping, our saliva production slows down, which allows food particles to cause decay rather than be washed away by saliva.
- Drinking Wine: Not every kind of wine is bad for your teeth. White wine, even though it doesn’t stain our teeth like red wine does, it causes damage to the enamel of the teeth. White wine has high levels of acid that eats away at the enamel.
- Drinking Bottled Water: Are you a water snob? Drinking water out of a bottle you buy at the store can be tasty and trendy, but will add up in the bank account and harm your teeth. Drinking water that comes from the tap is fluoride, which helps keep your teeth remineralized.
- Chewing Gum: If you love gum, we recommend chewing a sugarless gum that contains Xylitol. Xylitol is an ingredient that helps fight cavities. However, keep the gum chewing to a limit. The repetitive motion of chewing gum irritates the temporomandibular joint, which causes TMJ disorder. Irritating your TMJ has a ripple effect, causing headaches, earaches, and neck and facial pain. Try to chew gum occasionally, rather than regularly.
- Nail Biting: Repetitive nail biting reshapes the bottom of your upper teeth, leaving them with rigid edges. People that habitually bite their nails put themselves at risk for bruxism, which is when you unintentionally grind your teeth. Additionally, your nails are filled with germs and bacteria, which can cause more harm to your mouth.
- How You Drink: We recommend drinking out of a straw to protect your teeth from being exposed to the liquid.
- Horizontal Brushing: Excessive brushing will wear away the enamel, especially if you are brushing horizontally. Instead of moving your brush from side to side, move your brush in a circular motion. This is a great way to help your teeth say healthy longer.
With 7 new habits for your teeth, 2017 is sure to be a year full of good oral health. Hopefully, your new habits will prevent any further tooth decays, and keep your mouth healthy and strong. Contact our dental staff today to schedule your appointment!
