Aesthetics aside, looking after your mouth properly is absolutely essential: as well as giving you a lovely smile, good dental health keeps your teeth working as they should. And to achieve that, it pays to avoid certain bad dental habits.
Many of them are part of our daily routine and, without realising it, they damage our teeth.
Which bad dental habits should you avoid?
Using your teeth as a tool
We have all done it at some point, but tearing open plastic packaging or pulling bottle caps off with your mouth is very harmful to your teeth. It can cause fractures and also wear them down.
The same goes for using your teeth to cut thread or sticky tape: a pair of scissors is a much better idea. Bear in mind, too, that in adulthood the edges of the teeth are more worn, so they are more easily damaged.
Biting or chewing hard objects
Habits such as chewing a pen or trying to crack a nut with your teeth can wear them down and also cause fractures or cracks.
Chewing ice
It is a very common habit when finishing a drink or simply to cool your mouth down. It may not seem like it, but chewing ice can fracture your teeth. Ice is so hard that you need crushers with special blades just to break it up.
Biting your nails
Besides being unhygienic, it can damage your jaw joint. The likelihood of developing bruxism increases in people who bite their nails, and if you grind your teeth, regular check-ups are needed to prevent damage.
Sucking lemons or other citrus fruits
Some people can’t stand them, others love them. It is worth knowing that the acidity of fruits such as lemon, lime or grapefruit is highly corrosive to tooth enamel, which encourages tooth decay and sensitivity.
If you want to keep enjoying the juice of these vitamin C-rich fruits, the best thing is to rinse your mouth afterwards and wait around 30 minutes before brushing your teeth.
Eating sweets
Sugar is one of the main causes of tooth wear, although there are others. Some sweets are very sticky and cling to the tooth surface, where they mix with bacteria and encourage decay. That is why you should brush your teeth properly after eating a sweet.
Drinking a lot of fizzy drinks
Carbonated or fizzy drinks contain large amounts of sugar. They are also very acidic, so the “sugar-free” versions are not a good idea either.
These drinks seriously erode enamel, so it is best to drink them in moderation. If you want your teeth to suffer less, try drinking them through a straw.
Eating refined carbohydrates
Pasta, biscuits and bread contain sugars, so they attack your teeth in the same way as sweets. Bacteria feed on those sugars, damaging the teeth and wearing down the enamel. So, after eating them, wait around 30 minutes and then brush your teeth.
Brushing straight after eating
It is advisable to let some time pass before brushing, as doing so straight after a meal can damage the enamel. You should also avoid brushing just before having acidic foods or drinks, because you would remove the saliva that protects your teeth from that acid.
Using the wrong toothpaste
Choosing the right toothpaste really matters. Some toothpastes are very abrasive and can wear down the enamel. It is also important to choose a fluoride toothpaste, as fluoride is essential to control the bacteria your toothbrush hasn’t managed to remove.
Brushing your teeth the wrong way
Brushing properly isn’t as easy as it seems: it is not enough to put toothpaste on the brush and move it from side to side. To do it right, brush with circular movements, as horizontal strokes wear down the enamel.
As for choosing a toothbrush, be careful with very hard bristles. Soft-bristled brushes clean just as well and help prevent gum irritation and increased tooth sensitivity.
Brushing too hard is also a bad habit, because it damages the enamel, makes the gums recede and increases sensitivity.
Using toothpicks
Toothpicks can damage your teeth and gums and, therefore, harm your oral health. It is better to use dental floss or interdental brushes.
Smoking
It is one of the habits that does the most harm, not only to your teeth but to your health in general.
Tobacco contains nicotine, which stains the teeth and darkens the enamel. It can also cause serious gum disease that may end in tooth loss, and it affects your breath and sense of taste.
Drinking wine
Because of its acidity, wine also damages enamel. Its pigments are another problem, as they stain the teeth. That is why it is important to brush after drinking wine (leaving it a little while, as with other acidic drinks).
White wine, although it stains less than red, also damages the enamel.
Drinking coffee
Coffee stains the teeth and turns them yellowish because of the pigments it contains. It also wears down the enamel, so it is a good idea to brush after drinking it.
If you recognise yourself in any of these bad dental habits, at Clínica Dental Acosta Cubero we will check your mouth and advise you on any dental treatments you may need. Book your appointment and look after your smile in time.
