You know the importance of regular dental visits, brushing and flossing regularly, and avoiding sugar in taking care of your teeth. But did you know there are other everyday, routine things you do that can cause as much damage? Here are five things to avoid for good dental health.
- Chewing anything other than food. Do you find yourself chewing the end of your pen cap during meetings or snacking on the ice after you finish your drink? As you can imagine, constant grinding and crunching of tough objects are not good for your pearly whites. It’s a good way to break a tooth so if you find yourself doing this, stop.
- Guzzling sports drinks or juices. Many people consider juice and sports drink a healthy alternative to soda. Unfortunately, many of these drinks contain a ton of sugar and are high in acid, which can trigger acid reflux and drive acid into your mouth and teeth, which is not good!
- Using your teeth as scissors. Your teeth are not meant to tear or open things. Trust us when we tell you it’ll be much easier and cheaper for you to keep a good pair of scissors close by.
- Grinding your teeth. Maybe you know you do it, or maybe you do it without even realizing it, but either way, constantly grinding your teeth could set you up for issues as it wears down your teeth and eventually causes bone loss. If you think this is an issue, talk to your dentist about a mouthguard.
- Using the wrong toothpaste. Did you know the FDA ranks the abrasiveness of toothpaste? Using highly abrasive toothpaste can cause dental issues. Not sure where your toothpaste ranks? Check out this comprehensive list.