Almost everyone knows that the health of your mouth can affect the health of the rest of your body. Because dental hygiene is so essential to your overall health, it is important that you not only learn what dental hygiene habits you should adopt, but that you also know what dental habits you should break. For the sake of your oral health as well as your general health, here are 4 bad dental habits that you should break as soon as possible.
First, it is important to remember to avoid crunching on ice cubes and sipping sugary sodas. You may think these are harmless habits, but the fact is that chomping on brittle, cold ice can actually cause fractures in your teeth. These fractures may not be noticeable at first but they will inevitably grow more painful over time and cause you to need dentistry in Warrenton to fix the problem. Sipping sugary sodas is another bad habit that you need to break because acidic and sweet beverages can cause your teeth to decay at a rapid pace.
Second, if you currently use your teeth like they are portable tools then you need to break that habit right away. Don’t use your teeth to bite off hangnails, open up bags of candy or chips, rip tags off of new clothes or anything similar. Using your teeth as tools can fracture them or even break off chips that will then need to be repaired through dentistry in Warrenton.
Third, if you find yourself clenching or grinding your teeth for any reason, you need to stop before you grind down your enamel. Some people grind their teeth when they are stressed, while others grind their teeth at night and may not even be aware that they do so. If you wake up with a sore and achy jaw then you most likely grind your teeth when you sleep. To help prevent this from happening, talk to your dentist about getting a mouth guard that you can put over your teeth when you sleep at night.
Fourth, if you want to reduce your need for dentistry in Warrenton, throw away your hard-bristled toothbrush. Contrary to what you may think, a toothbrush with hard bristles is not ideal for cleaning the plaque off of your teeth. Instead, a hard toothbrush will slowly remove the enamel from your teeth over time and weaken them. It is much better to get a toothbrush with soft bristles and gently brush your teeth in circular motions with the bristles pointing downwards, away from your gum line. This will allow you to clean your teeth without abusing your gums or your enamel.
If your bad dental habits have wreaked havoc on your teeth, schedule a dental appointment for your dentistry needs. Get in touch with Gainesville Dental Associates.
