15 Daily Habits that Might be Wrecking Your Teeth (and How to Quit Them)
Your teeth will experience a certain amount of wear and tear throughout your lifetime. There’s just no getting around it. However, there are a variety of harmful daily habits that can quickly do damage to your teeth. These habits can accelerate tooth decay, lead to gum recession and increase the likelihood of cavities. The correlation is fairly obvious with many habits. But with others, you may not even be aware that they’re an issue. Here are some of the worst habits along with advice on how to quit.
1. Smoking
Dental hygienist Donna M. Rounsaville writes about the havoc that smoking can wreak on your teeth on Colgate’s blog. She cites some specific issues as being stained teeth, inflammation around the teeth, increased risk for gum disease and even tooth loss. For information and resources on how to quit smoking, check out Tobacco Free Alachua. This is a branch of Tobacco Free Florida and serves the greater Gainesville area. You can also reach them via email at [email protected] or by calling 352-334-7914.
2. Drinking Coffee
Americans love their coffee. Reporter Karen Fernau explains that more than 8 in 10 adults drink coffee, and the average person drinks three cups a day. While this may fuel our nation’s productivity, it can also take a toll on your teeth. The Healthline team points out that coffee contains ingredients called tannins, which contribute to staining teeth and giving them a yellowish appearance. An obvious solution is to stop drinking coffee, which the team at Mama Natural offers tips on. They recommend switching to a healthier alternative like tea, drinking a glass of water whenever you feel drowsy and routinely exercising to increase energy.
3. Drinking Sugary Drinks
Soda, energy drinks and even many fruit drinks are overloaded with sugar. And as Ida Gorshteyn mentions at MouthHealthy, the sugars found in these drinks produce an acid that can damage teeth, cause cavities and erode tooth enamel. Amanda MacMillan gives some helpful advice on how to quit drinking soda on Health.com, including gradually weaning yourself off by mixing it with water, switching to unsweetened tea and giving seltzer water a shot.
4. Drinking Alcohol in Excess
Alcoholism is harmful to the body in many different ways. Drinking in excess can lead to cirrhosis of the liver, heart disease, diabetes and more. But as the Destination Hope team adds, it also increases the likelihood of cavities and gum disease. If you’ve been struggling with alcoholism, you can get help from the University of Florida Health. Visit their website to learn about their treatment facility and services. You can also reach them via telephone at 352-265-4372.
5. Eating Candy
This one should come as no surprise. While eating the occasional candy should have minimal impact, Elizabeth Palermo reports at Live Science that taking it to excess is one of the leading causes of cavities. Cavities are formed when bacteria living in your mouth digest carbohydrate debris from refined sugars. After digesting the debris, it produces an acid that combines with saliva to create plaque. It’s the plaque that ultimately leads to tooth decay. Dr. Linda Bobroff, a professor and nutrition specialist at the University of Florida, offers guidance for parents seeking to limit their kid’s sweet treats. She recommends not offering candy as a reward, serving sweet fruit as a dessert and not making “treats” everyday foods.
11. Grinding Your Teeth
Known as bruxism, grinding your teeth can do damage to your teeth, jaw, crowns and restorations, The Mayo Clinic writes. In severe cases, it can even lead to facial and/or jaw pain. They also point out that it’s often hereditary and may result from increased stress and anxiety. If you’re concerned with the impact of habitually grinding your teeth and the damage it can do, it might be time to set up a consultation with an orthodontist.
12. Chewing on Ice
This may seem like an innocent habit, but as the Dental Plans team points out, chewing on ice can lead to chipped or cracked teeth, damage to tooth enamel, and teeth becoming more prone to cavities. They also mention that chronic ice chewing can sometimes be linked to anemia and may be something you need to get checked.
13. Opening Things with Your Mouth
Teeth are something of an evolutionary Swiss army knife, but that doesn’t mean they’re the best option for opening a bag of chips. Jackie Middleton at Best Health shows how this can ruin your teeth: It can potentially fracture a tooth, damage a filling and even break a tooth.
14. Brushing Too Hard
At first thought, brushing your teeth with plenty of force may seem like a good thing — like you’re really getting at all of the plaque. But in reality, brushing too hard can harm your teeth and gums. Dr. Peter Alldritt explains in ABC Health & Wellbeing that brushing too hard can actually cause your gums to recede. When they do, the recession exposes the neck of your tooth, which can accelerate decay. The team at Delta Dental provides guidance on how to properly brush and recommends
- using a soft-bristled brush,
- using short strokes and a scrubbing motion rather than “sawing” back and forth,
- and applying only enough pressure to feel the bristles against the gums.
15. Skipping Brushing
Many people skip brushing from time to time for one reason or another. But as Lauren Schumacker points out in Romper, this increases your chances of getting a cavity, can leave your gums inflamed, and rob your teeth of the fluoride they need to remineralize and repair themselves. It’s a bad deal all around. So be diligent about brushing, and do it at least twice a day. Images by: nemar74/©123RF Stock Photo, fahroni/©123RF Stock Photo, rido/©123RF Stock Photo
