Words by Dr Kimberly Dyoco
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Would you believe me if I told you that it’s possible to brush and floss religiously and still have serious oral health problems?
Unfortunately it’s true and I see it all the time in patients who take perfect care of their teeth…except for a bad habit or two that are preventing them from having optimum dental health.
In some cases, these patients are aware of their habits and have a hard time breaking them, but many don’t even know that something they do all the time is bad for their teeth. Though it might be a challenge to break yourself of these everyday behaviors, understanding the damage they do should motivate you to give them up for good.
Chewing on Ice
It’s something that many people do without even thinking – you finish your drink and tip the glass back to get an ice cube to munch on. It seems like a harmless enough thing to do, but it can wreak real havoc on your teeth.
Regularly chomping on ice can wear down your tooth enamel, causing cracks or chips that expose the dentin below. When that happens, your teeth can become sensitive and weak. Furthermore, frequent extreme temperature changes can also shorten the life of your fillings and even hurt your gums.
Grinding Your Teeth
The danger of bruxism is that many, many people do it without even knowing. Teeth-grinding commonly happens at night when you’re sleeping and leaves you with headaches, sore jaw and teeth and sleepiness that you can’t explain. But your dentist might be able to tell you that these problematic symptoms are the cause of bruxism, which can also do serious damage to your teeth in the form of fracturing or loss of teeth.
Regular visits to your dentist will ensure that you don’t let grinding go on unnoticed and if you do, in fact, display signs of bruxism, you can be fit for a custom mouth guard that will prevent grinding while you sleep.
Drinking Diet Beverages
To many, the word, “diet” means healthy or good for you but that’s usually miles from the truth, especially when it comes to diet drinks. You’re well aware of the fact that soda is terrible for your teeth and general health, but you should know that diet soda is hardly an improvement.
While a Diet Coke doesn’t have the sugar that a regular Coke has, it’s still highly acidic, which means it erodes enamel and causes tooth decay. So if you’re under the impression that your diet soda habit is A-OK for your teeth and health, you need to go back to the drawing board.
Frequent Snacking
Whether it’s to avoid eating large quantities at meal times or just out of boredom, many people grab snacks throughout the day. That isn’t always harmful from a nutritional standpoint, it can be very harmful to your teeth. Each and every time you take a bite of something sugary, starchy or acidic, you fuel the bacteria in your mouth that produces damaging acid.
It’s far better to consume a snack all at once than bite by bite over several hours. To minimize damage that any snack has, you can chew sugarless gum or brush about a half hour after you’re finished.
Overly Eager Oral Hygiene
It’s possible to have your dental hygiene fervor actually do damage to your teeth. For example, brushing your teeth too forcefully with a hard-bristled brush is not recommended because it can break down your tooth enamel. It’s best to use moderate pressure with a soft-bristled brush.
Additionally, brushing immediately after a meal or a sugary drink or treat should be avoided since acid can leave your teeth in a temporarily weakened state – instead, give your mouth a chance (30-60 minutes) to return to normal pH levels before brushing.
Teeth as Tools
Perhaps in our caveman days our teeth were the best tool we had on hand, but that is most certainly not so today. Yet we’re still quick to use our precious teeth as scissors, knives, bottle openers, nutcrackers or pockets.
Fortunately, we modern humans have better alternatives that don’t require you to put your teeth at risk. You probably do it without even thinking, so be sure to keep this knowledge in mind and stop yourself before you crack or chip a tooth.
The first step to addressing a problem is knowing that that it is a problem. Now that you’re armed with this knowledge it’s time to do the work of breaking yourself of the bad habits that could be preventing you from having excellent dental health.
Dr. Kimberly Dyoco is a dentist in Chicago and a frequent guest blogger on a variety of health and lifestyle sites.
As the founder of One Mag Smile, Dr. Dyoco is passionate about providing excellent patient care and educating people on the best ways to prevent problems before they start.