Habits That Break Your Teeth

Our teeth are extremely hard, and are very resistant towards heat, force and hard objects. But teeth can break, and they all too frequently become loose, chipped or otherwise damaged. While bones do become brittle over time, I want to make it absolutely clear that teeth do not, on their own, become weaker. We cause them to become damaged and weak, and often with activities we would never even dream of. These are some of the bad habits which cause damage to your teeth:

Pacifiers

Mothers and childcare professionals have both long debated pacifiers and baby bottles in general. Are they even necessary? If so when, and for how long? From a dental point of view, the use of pacifiers and baby bottles is negative, and should be limited as much as possible, because they breed and foster bacteria. This can cause tooth decay, which is dangerous for just developing tooth buds. The other problem is the increased risk of trauma; a bottle or pacifier, if it stays in the kids mouth when s/he falls, may push the milk teeth back into the gums, where they can damage the developing permanent teeth.

Grinding Your Teeth

Anxiety and stress sometimes manifest in the form of teeth grinding. Many times, this activity is not even noticeable, it can be done unconsciously in your sleep. Bruxism (the scientific name for the practice of grinding your teeth) wears the teeth out. If you cannot quite the habit, get yourself a tooth guard, or otherwise you will develop problems later on.

Tongue Piercings

Despite our best efforts, it seems that dentists just aren’t buying the fact that tongue piercings are safe. They can aggravate metal allergies, give an extra place for bacteria to live in, and can damage your teeth. The metal ball at the end of the piercing keeps hitting the teeth, knocking off enamel. Choose a plastic ball instead.

Sports

It is well known that most sport activities can sometimes result in injuries. Not for nothing is the tooth guard a necessary part of the sports apparel of contact and fighting sports. Boxing, ice hockey, and football all fall under the category of sports needing tooth guards. Not all sports need them, though, with some sports it is enough to just be careful and make sure you do not harm your peers.

Ice

Surely all of us have bitten or sucked on ice before. in the winter there are icicles, in the summer, ice cubes, and the heat makes them oh so tantalizing. After all, it’s just water, no artificial flavors, coloring or sugars, right? Sadly, the dentine inside your teeth gets irritated by cold, and this can lead to severe toothache. It is thus better to not chew ice.

Opening Objects With Your Teeth

It seems like a logical solution to use your teeth when you have to open certain things, and you have no tools at hand for the job. Logical, yes, but also dangerous! You can hurt your gums, teeth, and you can weaken them as well. Do not open beer bottles, bags and other items with your teeth.

Throat Lozenges

Even though you buy them in a pharmacy, they are not healthy. These lozenges contain a lot of sugar, which can cause tooth decay. To add to this, many people chew on the lozenges, which causes sugary substances to be pushed deep into cracks between the teeth, and can injure your gums as well.  

Chewing Pens

Some people get the urge to chew on something when they are anxious, stressed out, or impatient. Usually any old object will do; pens, pencils, your own nails, etc. Biting on surfaces that are hard cans damage your teeth, and can even you with a chipped tooth. Don’t risk it, chew sugar free gum instead!

Seeds

Sunflower seeds and other various nuts are the favorite of sports fans and all those who love to snack. They are pretty bad for your teeth. Sunflower seeds break down into tiny parts that get caught between your teeth, and if you do not remove them with brushing or flossing, they can stay in there indefinitely. Sunflower seeds usually require you to open them with your teeth as well, which can leave you with tarnished front teeth, and you can accidentally hurt your gums, too. All in all, be careful what you chew on, because habits are hard to break once they develop.

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