You can have great dental habits and bad ones, too. You may brush your teeth after every meal and floss every day, but are you doing things that damage your teeth? Chances are that you are, without even realizing it. Here are some of the most common bad habits that we have:
-Thumb sucking. This one is for the kids. Thumb sucking after permanent teeth come in can cause some problems down the road. It can cause a misalignment of the teeth and jaw, and can cause difficulty with chewing and even breathing.
-Sucking on lemons. Lemons are very acidic, and the acid will eat away the enamel on your teeth.
-Crunching ice. The temperature and hardness of the ice can damage your teeth.
-Using your teeth as a tool. Your teeth are meant to chew food, not tear tags off clothing or open bottles. This misuse of your teeth will damage them.
-Biting on pens, holding things between your teeth, etc. It doesn’t seem like it, but the pressure that is being applied to your teeth is substantial. Doing this can cause your teeth to shift or crack, and can damage existing dental work.
Keep brushing and flossing, but try to resist these other things. Some of them are things we do subconsciously, but hopefully this awareness of them will help you to recognize when you are doing them, and stop yourself.
Call your Las Vegas dentist, Dr. Hadley, today to schedule an appointment!