Saturday, January 28, 2017

Oral Habits are Bad for your Dental Health




You brush your teeth twice per day, floss and rinse with mouthwash daily. You visit your CosmeticDentist twice a year for checkups and cleanings. You are a good dental patient!   Are you aware that some daily habits you have may cause negative effects on your dental health?   

Here is a list of habits that are bad for your teeth

1.    Using your Teeth as Tools-traumatize teeth and may cause the edge of a weakened tooth to chip off or even fracture.
·      some people use their teeth to tear open bags (plastic bags, bags of potato chips)
·      open a bottle of beer
·      straighten a bent fork tine
·      rip a price tag off a piece of clothing
2.    Brushing too hard-this habit can cause enamel erosion.  The American Dental Association 
        suggests brushing your teeth gently and in wide strokes to clean your teeth – no need to scrub. 

·      Another time to go easy on your teeth is after eating acidic foods.  While your first good oral hygiene instinct might be to brush away the acid, the Mayo Clinic warns tooth brushing right after eating acidic foods can cause enamel damage. The recommendation is to wait at least 30 minutes before brushing.  Drink water or chew a piece of sugar-free gum after eating acidic foods.  It stimulates saliva flow to wash away excess acid without hurting the teeth.
3.    Chewing ice-one of the biggest causes of cracked and chipped teeth.  The hardness and cold temperature of ice can cause teeth to fracture or can create microscopic cracks that leads to serious dental problems. 
4.    Grinding your teeth-teeth grinding can cause chipping or cracking of your teeth.  Teeth grinding can occur during the day or at night (sleeping).  Causes of teeth grinding may include stress, anxiety, abnormal bite, missing or crooked teeth.
·      wear down enamel over time
·      cause temporal mandibular joint (TMJ) problems
·      damage existing dental work in the mouth

·      chipping and fracturing of your teeth

Your Cosmetic Dentist may recommend wearing a mouth guard for your teeth grinding at night. For more information on how to protect your teeth, contact Dr. Anna Lee and her team. 

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