Warning: These 5 Habits Are Damaging Your Teeth

When it comes to oral health, bad habits can have a damaging impact on the teeth. But which habits should you try to kick this year? Sometimes the simplest changes can make a huge impact on both your oral and general health. If you’d love to have a healthy, attractive smile for 2015, here are some of the habits you need to get rid of to keep damage and disease at bay:

1. Grinding Your Teeth

Tooth-grinding (also known as bruxism) tends to be a subconscious action that takes place when we’re asleep, so most of the time people grind their teeth without actually knowing it. If you wake up with headaches, toothache or tension around the jaw, neck and shoulders, the chances are you’re a tooth-grinder. But don’t worry, the situation can be helped. You can get custom-made bite guards from dentists such as Aqua Dental Spa. These help to prevent the upper and lower arches of teeth from clashing together. Often, tooth-grinding is lined to stress and anxiety. If this is the case, stress management techniques such as relaxation therapies, breathing exercises and mediation can be beneficial in reducing the chance of grinding your teeth in your sleep.

2. Drinking Acidic or Sugary Drinks

When a new year begins, many of us try to be a little healthier. But sometimes products that we think are super healthy are actually quite harmful for the teeth. Shop-bought smoothies and juices can contain a significant amount of sugar, and the juices can be very acidic. Both these factors contribute to acid erosion of the tooth enamel. If you’d like to make some healthy changes to your diet but want a flavoursome alternative to water, try making juices and smoothies at home. That way you can control the amount of sugar that goes into them.

3. Smoking

When people discuss the health dangers of smoking, the focus tends to be on the increased risk of respiratory diseases and lung cancer. On top of these risks smoking can also really damage your oral health. It doesn’t just stain the teeth and spoil the aesthetics of the smile; it also increases the risk of gum disease and slows down the body’s healing processes. Giving up smoking will help to boost your oral health and reduce the risk of serious health conditions. There are a number of methods to help people quit smoking, including nicotine replacement therapy, group sessions and hypnotherapy.

4. Sucking Your Thumb

Thumb-sucking is a habit usually linked to children, but many people continue the habit well into their teenage and adult years. Even a short spell of sucking the thumb during the childhood years can affect the development of the teeth, and it may contribute to orthodontic problems such as overjet, which occurs when the front teeth protrude.

5. Drinking Coffee

Many of us admit to feeling rather drowsy and lethargic before having our morning coffee fix. However, drinking coffee on a regular basis can have a negative impact on your teeth. Coffee is strong in colour and over time, drinking both coffee and tea can contribute to discoloration of the enamel. It might be a better idea to replace one of your daily cups of coffee with a mug of green tea, which has been proven to provide health benefits for the teeth.