Put the Bite on These Bad Dental Habits
- Posted on: Nov 15 2016
Our teeth are tougher than the linebackers playing for the New Orleans Saints. But therein lies the rub. They are so tough that we tend to take them for granted. We do all sorts of bad things to our teeth believing that they’ll forever keep chomping away on our behalf.
Dr. Aguilar and Dr. Celino are big believers in the fortitude of our teeth, but they are also a big proponent for taking good care of them. Heck, that’s what we do for his patients every day!
So, in the name of prevention, here’s a list of bad habits that you’d be best to end for the sake of keeping your teeth healthy.
Eight things you’re doing to your teeth
- Grinding your teeth — Life can be stressful. Many people swallow the stress and it rears its ugly head at night when we’re sleeping. The anxiety makes us grind our teeth. This is called bruxism. Everyone knows grinding your teeth is bad: it literally grinds your teeth down. Most people who grind don’t realize they do it, unless they awake with very sore jaws. But we can see the signs and get you into a mouthguard to wear at night.
- Chewing ice — Men are classic ice munchers. Sure, guys, it may be no-cal, but that doesn’t mean it’s good for you. Chewing it can chip or crack your teeth. It also irritates the soft tissue inside the tooth, causing toothaches.
- Fruit juice — Many people think that fruit juice is akin to health food. Well, if that juice you’re drinking came directly from the fruit that would be pretty accurate. The problem is, most fruit juices are mostly masquerading. Fruit juice “cocktails,” for instance, usually are made with only 10% of the drink being actual fruit juice. Look for fruit juices that are 100% juice. Otherwise, there is often as much sugar in it as in soda. Plus, in certain juices the acidity is pretty high.
- Sodas — Everyone knows sodas aren’t really what you should be gulping down. But most people think, in a dental sense, it’s because of the sugar. Yes, the sugars can lead to dental decay, but they also contain phosphoric and citric acids. These are corrosives that eat away at the enamel protecting your teeth.
- Bottle in the crib — Plopping a bottle down with your baby when you’re trying to get the little guy to sleep is not only lazy, but it’s a really bad idea for the development of the teeth. He or she may fall asleep with the bottle in their mouth, bathing the teeth in sugars overnight.
- Your teeth, the bottle opener — Most everyone know the guy who’s great at parties because he opens bottles with his teeth. The Human Bottle Opener. Leave that trick to him; you can chip or crack your teeth very easily.
- Constant snacking — When you eat a regular meal, your mouth produces more saliva and that helps eliminate and break down residual particles. But when you snack for brief periods, you don’t produce saliva in the same way. The lack of saliva when you eat a snack means that food bits can stay in your teeth for hours. If you need a snack, opt for something low in sugar and starch, like carrots.
- Cigarette smoking — Cigarettes. OK, you’ve heard all the stuff about the rest of your body. What about your mouth? Cigarettes stain your teeth and lead to gum disease. As if that weren’t enough, tobacco also leads to cancer of the mouth, lips, and tongue.
Schedule a consultation
Hopefully you’ve been reading these habits in a third person-esque way, meaning you’re not all that guilty. If you are guilty of most of these, you may want to contact Fleur De Lis Dental Care for an appointment!
Posted in: Dental Health
