Did you know that our tooth enamel is the hardest substance in our entire body? However, despite being extremely durable and strong, it is also quite vulnerable to being damaged when teeth are not treated properly. Wondering if some of your bad habits might be damaging your teeth and dulling your smile? Here are some common habits you should always avoid:
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Eating Ice
Although ice may seem like a nice “calorie free” snack, it can wreak havoc on your smile. The cold temperature of ice can weaken teeth, increasing the risk of chips, cracks, and damage, while the hard substance can wear down enamel, and even break the entire tooth. Find yourself chewing on ice often? You might want to kick the habit before your teeth are damaged.
Biting Nails
Nail biting may be an extremely common bad habit. However, it may just be one of the worst. Not only can chewing on nails weaken enamel and damage teeth, but biting nails can also put additional stress on the jaw, leading to complications and discomfort down the road.
Using Teeth as Tools
We’ve all been there, struggling to open a package, no tools in sight, so we use our teeth. But did you know this can take a huge toll on your teeth and smile? Although our teeth are strong tools, they were never meant to serve as scissors, pliers or any other tool. Using teeth as tools regularly can lead to chips, cracks, fractures and even completely broken teeth.
Gnawing On Objects
Another extremely common habit that everyone should kick, chewing on random objects. A basic rule of thumb is that if it isn’t food, you shouldn’t be biting it! Chewing on pencils, pens or any other hard objects can put additional stress on teeth, resulting in chips, fractures and ultimately broken teeth.
Worried your bad habits may have damaged your teeth? Contact our Katy dental office today! We’d be happy to schedule your appointment so that we can evaluate your smile to determine if your bad habits have left your smile damaged.
