Do you remember that hard-hitting Corsodyl advert with the strapline ‘we wouldn’t ignore blood if it came from a tap’? Or, a similarly unnerving campaign showing a woman using mascara and ignoring bleeding from her eye, with the message ‘we wouldn’t ignore bleeding from any other part of the body, so we shouldn’t ignore spitting blood after brushing’? Yeah, that was an effective campaign.
Good oral hygiene is really important and protecting your pearly whites through brushing and flossing will help prevent tooth decay and gum disease. Research has even shown that gum disease might be linked to Alzheimer’s and dementia.
It’s time to take control of our dental health. With the help of Holly House Dental, here are some oral hygiene habits you should avoid.
Heavy Drinking
Drinking alcohol leads to drying the mouth, which prevents saliva from eliminating bacteria. This causes bad breath and endangers teeth, by making them more prone to developing cavities. Alcohol is an acidic drink and, as a result, it damages the enamel.
It’s useful, then, for so many reasons, to reduce your daily alcohol intake to one drink or less. People can also try to replace it with something else, like sparkling water, for example.
Nail Biting
This bad habit is a result of stress, anxiety, or boredom, and people are often unaware they’re doing it. Even so, it can chip teeth, negatively impact the jaw, and expose the mouth to bacteria found under the fingernails. To reduce nail biting, people may try painting their nails so that the bitter taste would stop them from touching their nails. Alternatively, they might practice various stress management techniques, such as meditation.
Biting & Chewing Foreign Objects
The majority of people chew the tip of a pencil and eyeglasses whenever they’re focusing on difficult tasks. As relaxing as it may feel, this habit puts pressure on the teeth and can lead to teeth cracking and shifting. What’s more, objects also carry germs that can cause mouth infections. Chewing veggies and sugar free gum instead of items is the healthy alternative to keeping the mouth occupied.
Teeth Grinding
Teeth grinding is also called bruxism and happens both during the day and at night. It’s usually caused by stress and anxiety. Teeth grinding can expose teeth to decay. Solutions to this problem include wearing a mouth guard and practising exercises that are meant to reduce stress.
Brushing Your Teeth Too Harshly
Brushing teeth is essential, but doing so too aggressively may irritate the gums, which leads them to recede. It might also damage the enamel and cause tooth sensitivity. There are things people can do to prevent brushing too hard, like buying a toothbrush that has soft bristles and replacing it every three or four months or whenever bristles start to wear off.
Frequent Snacking
When people eat, bacteria feasts on leftover food particles in the mouth and produces acid, which damages the enamel and causes decay. Eating in a balanced manner, consuming meals that are rich in protein, and drinking enough water to wash away the leftover food particles are great ways to replace snacking often.
Chewing Ice Cubes
The fact that ice is cold and rigid leads to teeth fracturing whenever people chew ice cubes. It also damages fillings and other dental restorations. Drinking through a straw and drinking chilled beverages without ice are two ways in which this issue can be avoided completely.
