10 Habits that Damage Your Teeth

You brush your teeth, floss regularly and also go to your dentist and yet your teeth are not perfect, why? There are a lot of things that we do in our daily routine and have become a habit such as, nail biting and drinking fizzy drinks, which damage our teeth. You need to be very careful with your diet and habits in order to have that perfect smile that you long for. Here are a few habits that you really need to work on.

1. Sucking on Things

Sounds strange, but yeah, some of you suck on lemons. Do you really like the taste, that’s the real question? Anyway, you are being hard on your pearly whites. The damage takes a long to time to appear but then it is too late. You surely don’t want to end up with weak teeth, so try to put this habit to rest.

2. Munching on Ice

It is sugar free, so you consider it harmless. However, it is harmful for your teeth. This mindless chomping can irritate the soft tissue in your tooth and cause sensitivity, which can be triggered by hot or cold food. Avoid munching on ice and eat food at moderate temperature.

3. Thumb Sucking

Kids become habitual of sucking on their thumbs if they are not stopped at a young age. Sucking on thumb can lead to abnormalities in jaw structures and also cause misalignment of teeth. Help your child get rid of his thumb sucking habit even if you have to scold him.

4. Bedtime Bottle-feeding

We are told to brush our teeth before going to bed our entire life. The reason behind this is that sugar and bacteria damage your teeth overnight and cause cavities. Babies often go to bed with feeders in their mouth. Several nights of bathing their teeth with sugar overnight can cause serious damage. It is best to keep the bottles away during the nighttime.

5. Aggressive Brushing

Brushing is a must for proper oral hygiene. But that does not mean you have to be hard on your teeth. Use the right technique instead of force. Brushing too hard can wear down enamel making your teeth sensitive to cold. It can also cause cavities, which are obviously not a good sight. Use soft but firm brushes to brush your teeth.

6. Teeth Grinding

Stress and anger makes you want to clench your jaw and grind your teeth, which is an awful habit. You can actually get micro fractures or real fractures in extreme cases. Your teeth become smaller in size over time and get sensitive. It gives them a rough look, which is not attractive at all. Manage your stress and anger to avoid such habits.

7. Using Teeth as Tools

Your teeth are not your tools. One day you will be surprised at how easily your tooth came out while cutting the thread with your teeth. Tags on clothes are pretty annoying, but your seriously need to grab a scissor instead of using your teeth to get them off. Don’t be lazy and grab a hammer if nothing else to break open walnuts. Be nice and gentle on your teeth. They help you give that million-dollar smile, so pamper them.

8. Fizzy Drinks

Candies are bad for your teeth but these fizzy drinks are worse. They have more sugar and citric acid in them. The sugar decays the food enamel while the acid erodes the enamel making cavities leading to tooth death. Fizzy drinks should totally be avoided if you want healthy teeth. Fizzy drinks also make your teeth look translucent making them appear grey in color.

9. Fruit Juices

Juices are loaded with vitamins and antioxidants but they also contain lots of sugar in them. This sugar also decays teeth and cause cavities. It is always better to dilute fruit juices in some water. Avoid drinking canned juices and opt for home made fresh juices without any sugar added to them.

10. Coffee

Yellow teeth are not attractive at all. Caffeine and acid present in coffee stain your enamel giving it a yellow appearance. These stains are adhesive and don’t go away easily so you need to go see your dentist to get rid of such stains. Cut down your coffee to one cup a day and brush your teeth regularly