8 “Unknown” Habits That Can Damage Your Teeth

Ninety-four percent of those surveyed say the first thing they notice about people is their smile. Beautiful teeth convey so much – happiness, confidence, warmth and attractiveness. And the key to a stunning smile is an awesome set of teeth.

Yet, unfortunately, our habits sometimes sabotage the health of our teeth without our even thinking about it.

At Bondi Dental, we can share some of the ways you’re unwittingly causing everything from tooth enamel erosion to plaque build-up and more.

Dental Health Habits Pushed Too Far

Brushing directly after a meal or acidic drinks. Do you brush your teeth right after eating or drinking something acidic? If you brush immediately after eating or drinking, you may cause tooth wear because the enamel has been softened by acid. Instead, wait an hour or so and brush gently with a soft-bristled brush.

Brushing too vigorously. Do you brush your teeth too vigorously? It might seem like a good idea to brush hard, to scrub away all the remnants of food you’ve eaten. But brushing too vigorously can wear down and weaken a tooth’s enamel. Instead, brush teeth gently, using circular strokes and a soft-bristled brush.

Overflossing. Flossing just once a day is enough.

If you floss too often, serious damage can occur to your gum tissue, but it’s not only how often you floss that can cause problems. If you floss too vigorously or apply too much pressure on the gums, the gums can bleed and become painful. Eventually, over-flossing can destroy the gum line, which exposes more of the teeth’s root, eventually causing tooth decay and cavities.

Poor Daily Habits

Using Teeth as Tools. Dentists report that patients use their teeth for a wide range of odd jobs: to tear open a bag of potato chips, uncap bottles, pull out a watch stem, cut string, or rip a price tag off a piece of clothing. This can be hard on your teeth, damaging them or causing the edge of a weakened tooth to chip off or even fracture. Just keep your actual tools handy, and use them, not your teeth.

Chewing things other than food (or gum!). Chances are that you’ve occasionally crunched your way through an ice cube or two. Those chips of frozen delight that float in a tall glass of your favorite beverage can be hard to resist. But the dental damage that comes from chewing on ice often includes cracked and chipped teeth, damage to tooth enamel, problems with existing dental work such as fillings and crowns, and sore jaw muscles.

Chewing other things can be even worse! Chewing on pens and pencils can wear down the edges of your teeth and can possibly cause toothaches and fractures. Fragments of things you chew can be accidentally swallowed or cause cuts to you soft tissues. Worse, you never know where the things you chew might have been. Talk about unsanitary!

Exercise Habits

Exercise is important to good health, but can it have a detrimental effect on our teeth? Studies have shown that exercise and fitness habits can result in an increase in dental decay and tooth erosion. Exercise can impact our oral health in many ways, including:

Decreased Saliva Flow: Breathing heavily through the mouth during exercise can result in a reduction in saliva and cause the mouth to dry out. Saliva is filled with minerals that work to fight bacteria, protect tooth enamel, and prevent decay. To prevent decay caused by a dry mouth, learn to breathe through your nose during exercise and hydrate with water before, during, and after your workout. You can also brush your teeth before you exercise to reduce the presence of bacteria and plaque.

Jaw Clenching: Athletes often clench their jaw when straining to lift weights. This pressure can result in wear and even cracked teeth. To protect teeth from the effects of clenching, consider using a mouth-guard. These can be purchased at most drugstores or sporting goods stores or our dentist can make a custom fitted mouth-guard for you.

Contact Sports. Contact sports can cause tooth damage, loss, and jaw damage as well. If you play contact sports, take a page out of Australia’s new WBO Welterweight Champion Jeff Horn’s playbook – come to Bondi Dental and get a custom-fitted mouth-guard to protect your precious teeth.

Free Consultation at Bondi Dental

Bondi Dental is located in the Sydney area, at Bondi Beach. We offer high quality dental preventative, restorative, and cosmetics services for patients of all ages and from all walks of life. Bondi Dental offers free parking at the rear of the building and FREE Dental Consultation including a complete dental check-up.

We provide services under the Bulk Bill Child Benefit Schedule (up to $1,000 over a two-year period for children ages 2 to 17).

For more amazing special offers, please visit our special offers page.

Call your Bondi dentist on (02) 9365 7187 or book your appointment online.

Visit us at 134 Curlewis St in Bondi Beach.