It is safe to say that most people know that smoking cigarettes is bad for them and for their dental health. Similarly, we all know that if you don’t brush regularly, or don’t visit your Smart Smiles Dental dentist regularly, your dental health will suffer.
But how many of us know that tongue-piercings can threaten dental health (tooth displacement, chipping, infection, etc.)? Or that chewing dried fruits can be bad for our teeth?
To fully ensure our dental health, we need to be aware of ALL the habits that can harm it, particularly those habits we think might actually be good for us.
So join us at Smart Smiles Dental as we take a quick tour of some common behaviours that can be ‘unknown’ threats to our dental health.
Using your teeth as a tool – It is not unusual for people use their teeth as tools, including tearing open bags of crisps, uncapping bottles of nail polish, or ripping price tags off a piece of clothing. This might seem convenient at the moment but it’s a bad idea for the long-term health of your teeth. This process can cause your teeth to crack or chip, especially at the edges.
Putting a stop to this bad habit will help protect your teeth against preventable damage. A simple way to break this bad habit is to keep tools handy so you will be less likely to resort to using your teeth.
Chewing on things. Most people don’t think twice about chewing on their fingernails or eating ice cubes with their iced tea or cola. But these habits can cause damage to our teeth. Our teeth were intended to be used for two things: eating and speaking. With damaged teeth, chewing food or enunciating words properly becomes difficult, and chewing random non-food items can damage this ability.
If you have to chew, chew on sugar free gum. It contains no calories and it will actually make your teeth stronger. Any action that generates saliva is generally very good for the health of teeth.
Working out is generally good for your whole body —except, sometimes, your teeth. A study published in The Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports found that while vigorous exercise can benefit your health, it can also be bad for your teeth. Researchers discovered that heavy training can increase dental problems —often in unexpected ways. Workout warriors are at higher risk for dental erosions and exercise-dependent cavities.
Swimming. Regular swimmers expose their teeth to large amounts of chemically treated water. Pool water contains chemical additives like antimicrobials, which give the water a higher pH than saliva, causing salivary proteins to break down quickly and form organic deposits on swimmer’s teeth.
The result is swimmer’s calculus, hard, brown tartar deposits that mostly appear on front teeth. Also, during the summer, swimming pool accidents are a major cause of dental accidents. Chlorine can also decrease the strength of enamel.
So, swim carefully, and with your mouth tightly shut!
Contact sports. All of Australia celebrated when Jeff Horn won the WBO Welterweight championship. And Jeff’s smile after the bout was awesome. He was able to smile, because despite all the punching and banging of the fight, he wore a custom-fitted mouth-guard. If you engage in any contact sports, be certain to visit Smart Smiles Dental first, to get your own custom-fitted mouth-guard!
Brushing too hard. It is easy to think “more is better”, that brushing your teeth with extra enthusiasm will make them as clean as possible. But this approach can wear down enamel, irritate your gums, make teeth extra sensitive, and cause cavities.
When to brush? In choosing when to brush your teeth, you might also consider your diet. If you’ve eaten an acidic food or drink, avoid brushing your teeth directly afterwards. These acids weaken tooth enamel, and brushing too soon can remove enamel. If you know you’re going to eat or drink something acidic, brush your teeth beforehand.
Flossing. Flossing too vigorously or applying too much pressure on the gums can cause the gums to bleed. Eventually, over-flossing can destroy the gum line. This exposes more of the teeth’s root, which eventually causes decay and cavities.
Some overzealous flossers use a sawing motion in an attempt to get their teeth clean. This can wear down tooth enamel and in extreme cases can result in periodontal bone loss. This causes the teeth to become loose and eventually fall out.
To enhance the overall look of your teeth as well as your overall dental health, visit your Deer Park dentist at Smart Smile Dental and let us help you have anxiety-free dental care! At Smart Smile Dental experience the benefits of a healthy and good-looking for your lifetime!
At Smart Smile Dental, our goal is to make top-notch dental care easy and affordable. We encourage you to take advantage of our latest offers. For more information, visit our special offers page today!
Contact us on (03) 8390 5778 or simply book your appointment online.