What Are The Most Damaging Habits For Your Teeth?

As a dental practitioner, I give patients advice every day to help them improve their oral health. But ultimately, it’s your responsibility to protect your teeth and prevent tooth decay. Your everyday habits matter when it comes to good oral health.

So, what are the worst habits for your teeth and oral health?

Keep reading as we discuss the habits you need to change to ensure your natural teeth remain healthy, white, and strong! Ask your Maroubra dentist about the best dental hygiene habits you should be practising!

Top 9 Worst Habits For Your Teeth

Here are some of the worst habits for your teeth. Do you have some of these bad habits? Then, consider which ones you can ditch in order to improve your smile and retain your natural teeth.

1. Not Brushing Regularly

You need to clean your teeth regularly, and you need to brush them thoroughly. Brush for around 2 minutes twice daily with the right toothpaste. To keep your teeth clean, strong, and healthy, you need to maintain consistent teeth brushing routines. If you do not brush enough, this will cause plaque to build up on your teeth, leading to tooth decay.

2. Brushing too hard

While you want your teeth to be clean, applying too much pressure when brushing is never a good idea. When you brush too hard, you may inadvertently wear down and erode the enamel that protects your teeth.

This will lead to tooth sensitivity and makes it easier for bacteria to damage your teeth. In addition, it will cause the gum tissue to recede.

3. Not Flossing

If you’re not flossing regularly, you will be unable to mitigate and remove the plaque in those hard-to-reach areas between your teeth. You should try to floss daily to remove the plaque building up in between your teeth.

In addition to flossing, you should try using mouthwash. Mouthwash will help to clean out your mouth and reduce the presence of bacteria on your gums and tongue. Mouthwash also helps to clean the spaces in between your teeth.

4. Smoking

Cigarette smoking is one of the leading causes of bad teeth. Smoking exposes your teeth to nicotine and tobacco, which causes your teeth to turn yellow, leaving unsightly stains. The smoke also weakens the enamel covering your teeth, leading to tooth decay.

In addition, constantly inhaling smoke results in bad breath. It will also lead to gum disease, and in the long run, food even begins to taste differently.

5. Using Your Teeth Improperly

We are always using our teeth for innovative purposes – biting off that pesky tag on our clothes or opening a packet of sweets. But, using your teeth as tools instead of a pair of scissors can be harmful. The same goes for nail-biting and other biting habits. Your teeth are made for chewing food, and using them otherwise will lead to damage over time. So, buy a few extra pairs of scissors and try to kick that nail-biting habit.

6. Nail biting

Nail biting, a common nervous tick, could contribute to your teeth problems. For starters biting your nails can cause the enamel on your teeth to crack or chip away.

This could be one of the worst habits for teeth as, in addition, fingernails become jagged with sharp edges. They may scratch your gums, introducing abrasions that bacteria love to fester in.

As a result, gum disease and rotting teeth may occur. Also, putting your nails in your mouth can transfer germs and bacteria from anything you’ve touched into the mouth, causing further dental infections.

Try to identify your triggers to be more mindful to stop the habit in those situations. You can also try techniques such as using bitter nail polish.

7. Grinding your teeth

Grinding your teeth, also known as bruxism, is an involuntary condition that usually happens during sleep. It causes wear and tear, chipping off and cracking your tooth enamel. Once your enamel is weak, bacteria will have a field day on your teeth, causing cavities and tooth decay.

This will also lead to pain in the jaws and headaches. Consider trying some coping mechanisms such as avoiding caffeine and using mouth guards.

8. Eating Staining Foods

Many foods have a detrimental effect on the colour of your teeth. The following foods can stain your teeth if you eat them regularly:

Curry
Tomato pastes
Balsamic vinegar
Soy sauce
Berries
Beetroot

You can eat these foods occasionally, but if you consume them daily, this could affect the colour of your teeth.

9. Drinking Staining Beverages

You should also avoid several beverages to preserve your pearly whites. Some of the most staining drinks include:

Red wine
Coffee
Tea
Coca-cola and other dark soft drinks like root beer
Fruit juices (particularly berry juices)

You should limit yourself to one staining beverage daily and switch to water throughout the day if you wish to avoid your teeth changing colour.

Summary

Now that we have learned of the worst habits for your teeth, it’s time to assess your tooth care and kick out those bad habits! If you want a whiter smile, you can speak to your local Maroubra dentist about teeth whitening and teeth cleaning. You deserve to feel unabashed about your smile!

If you need help reversing the effects of your old habits on your teeth, visit Maroubra Dental Avenue for the best dental care Maroubra can provide.

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