Bad Habits That Affect Oral Health

At Parkside Dental Care, our goal is to help our patients achieve and maintain optimal oral health. We only see our patients a few times each year, so the bulk of the oral care responsibility lands on our patients. This is one of the reasons we are so passionate about proper oral care and developing an oral hygiene routine. We love answering questions and helping patients who are unsure of the proper steps to take to clean their teeth. While we normally share positive habits that we encourage patients to do daily, today we are sharing bad habits that can negatively affect your oral health. Bad habits can lead to discomfort as well as a dental emergency. These include:

Using Teeth as Tools
We know that many of our patients use their teeth to bite a tag or rip open a package. While your tooth enamel is extremely strong, it is not indestructible. Over time, this can cause teeth to crack and break. We recommend taking the extra time to find a proper tool.

Chewing on Hard Items
Another bad habit is chewing or biting on items such as pens, ice, and fingernails. Our teeth are designed to chew food. Our tooth enamel cannot withstand the repeated pressure of biting on these hard items. As mentioned above, it will cause the teeth to crack and break.

Grinding Your Teeth
Many people who grind their teeth are unaware, as it typically happens during times of sleep. Grinding and clenching your teeth can lead to severe wear of the tooth enamel, causing issues such as tooth sensitivity and cracked and broken rear molars.

Frequent Snacking
Snacking throughout the day significantly increases your risk of developing tooth decay. During meal times, our saliva helps to wash away lingering bacteria. Patients who frequently snack have an increased risk of lingering bacteria that can cause decay to develop.

If you are in the Montgomery, AL area and are concerned that any of these bad habits have already caused damage to your teeth, please call our office to schedule an appointment. We can work together to come up with a treatment plan to repair any damages and restore your oral health.

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