3 Harmful Dental Habits You Should Get Rid Of

Many people practice excellent dental care: they brush their teeth and floss on a regular basis, see their dentist at least twice a year for cleanings and checkup. But, there are some things you may be doing that could undermine the good habits and compromise your overall dental health. We’ve asked dentists from one of the best Atlantic Beach, FL Dental Clinics about the worst dental habits, how we could stop them and why they are so harmful.

1- Do you crunch the leftover ice in your drink? What can that be dangerous? The cold temperature and brittleness of ice cubes could cause your teeth to fracture. First, they cause tiny cracks in the enamel surface and, eventually, that leads to more severe dental issues. Although bigger cubes are more harmful than crushed ice, it doesn’t means you should crunch the latter. This goes for crunching popcorn kernels, too.

2 -Don’t use your teeth as tools. We have our teeth to chew foods not for doing a number of odd jobs. Keep real and simple tools such as pliers and scissors handy to tear open a bag of snacks, rip a price tag off a new pair of socks, uncap a bottle of your favorite nail polish etc. Real tools should do the dirty work not your mouth and teeth.

3- Don’t grind your teeth! Some people grind their teeth at night, others during the day. Whenever it’s done, it wears our teeth down. Teeth grinding may be caused by anxiety and stress, but it’s more often caused by crooked or missing teeth, as well as by an abnormal bite. What can be done about this bad habit? A dentist may recommend wearing a mouth guard if a patient grinds their teeth at night. If, however, this is caused by stress, think about counseling or a good exercise program.