Our teeth are one of the most important parts of our body. They allow us to speak properly, sing, help us to smile, and perhaps most importantly, allow us to eat food!
We only have two sets of teeth during our lifetime, one of which drops out pretty soon after we start to grow up. The other has to last us our whole lives, or dental treatment and intervention will be required to give us the mouth we have been accustomed to.
This is why it is important that you understand how you can keep your teeth healthy, which includes avoiding bad habits that can harm your teeth.
This piece is going to take a look at the bad habits that people develop that can cause great harm to their teeth, so you know what to avoid!
Biting Your Nails
You would be forgiven for thinking that biting your nails would only impact your nails. However, it has a much more detrimental effect than ruining your manicure. Using your teeth when you bite your nails can cause issues such as chipped teeth and can also have an impact on your jaw. When you are biting your nails, you are putting pressure on your jaw repeatedly, which over time can cause problems such as jaw dysfunction. Try to kick this bad habit by using false nails (which are impossible to bite through), reduce your daily stress or even try a bitter-tasting nail polish that is designed to discourage nail-biting. Doing this should help you cut down on nail-biting, which in turn should help relieve your jaw from constant inflicted pressure.
Grinding and Clenching Your Teeth
Grinding and clenching your teeth can be such a natural response to something like stress that often, there will be times when you might not even realise you are doing it. When this is done for long periods of time or regularly, this can become a problem for both your teeth and your jaw. Not only can it chip or crack teeth, which will then have to be repaired by a dentist, but it can also cause joint pain, muscle tenderness and headaches, which are not at the top of the list for fun either. Managing your stress could help with grinding and clenching, and being mindful when it is happening can help you limit the behaviours. However, if it is occurring in your sleep, it is best to see a trusted dentist for some advice. They should be able to offer you information on mouthguards to help protect your teeth when you are asleep and also provide a check-up to assess how your teeth are doing.
Brushing Too Hard
It can be easy to think that brushing harder equals cleaner teeth, but that is not the case at all. In fact, brushing hard can damage your enamel, which can then cause issues like sensitivity and cavities. Make sure to brush your teeth gently to avoid damage, as you are only trying to remove surface plaque. [