5 Daily Habits That Harm Your Teeth

Bad Habits

Even without realising, you may be harming your teeth, say dental health experts.

Simple and innocuous daily habits may in the long run prove to be detrimental for your teeth. Are you making any of these mistakes?

– Very often people tend to mindlessly chew on their pens while working. This will erode the tooth enamel and cause pain in the long run. Make a conscious effort not to put that pen in your mouth no matter how absent minded you are. Ask someone who sits next to you to point it out in case you can’t remember.

– Do you like to nibble on ice cubes? Apart from getting a cold, you’re also harming your teeth when you do this. When you try and bite into frozen bits of ice, there is a high possibility of you cracking or chipping your teeth. Doing this might also affect the soft tissues over time in your mouth causing you distress when you eat your food.

– If you tend to grind your teeth in your sleep — and experts say that is a far more common problem than people realise — you need to wear a mouth guard at night. This will protect your teeth against wear and tear. The same mouth guard should also be worn when you play certain sports. You rather wear it and look silly than lose a tooth and look sillier!

– Another thing that might cause harm to your teeth is a tongue piercing. As fashionable as you think they look, they can cause your tooth to crack if it comes between your teeth.

– Are you a regular candy eater? Make sure that you’re extra diligent when it comes to brushing your teeth later on. Sticky candy tends to get stuck on your teeth and remain there for days and causes cavities if you don’t make extra attempts to remove it.

– The next time you find yourself looking for a scissor and then going ahead and using your teeth for the same job, do yourself a favour and take that extra effort to look for that scissor. Your teeth were made to chew, not open plastic packets. Be gentle with your teeth and you will be grateful in the long run.