The effects of bad oral habits are something that our team sees all too often. You might have bad oral habits from when you were a child. This could be because your parents didn’t know how to take care of your teeth or didn’t make you. Or, you could slowly get into bad habits, like not brushing as often as you should. When you don’t take care of your teeth and gums, you can get cavities and gum disease, which can cause you to lose teeth and feel a lot of pain. You may find it easy to keep doing them, but you can break them with a little work. Focus on replacing your bad habits with good ones and eating foods that are good for your teeth.
Some Bad Oral Habits You Need to Break Right Now
Lip Biting
Some people bite their lips because they are nervous, but from a dentist’s point of view, it could be a sign that their bite isn’t right. A “good bite” puts pressure on all your teeth. A “bad bite” only puts pressure on a few teeth. This could cause your teeth to break or chip over time. Biting your lips all the time can also cause problems in the temporomandibular joint, which can lead to TMJ disorders.
How to stop lip biting?
If you bite your lips because it’s a habit, you can break this bad oral habit by figuring out what makes you do it and practicing mindfulness whenever you do it. You could also try progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) exercises to help the muscles in your jaw let go of stress.
Biting on Ice
Eating ice may give instant relief when it’s very hot outside, like in the summer. But your teeth will be the ones to suffer. Ice can damage the surface of the tooth enamel because it is hard and cold, which can lead to cracks and bigger dental problems like acid attacks and tooth decay.
How to stop biting on ice?
People think that crushed ice is less likely to damage teeth. But it’s best not to eat or bite anything frozen.
Also Read: How To Get Rid Of Bad Breath?
Using Your Teeth as Tools
Using your teeth to open a bottle, a bag of chips or a bobby pin for your hair can look cool. But it won’t be cool anymore once your gums and jaw start hurting. When you use your teeth for something they can’t do, you could break them or hurt your jaw because your mouth is under pressure it wasn’t made for. So it’s a bad oral habit.
How to stop using teeth as tools? Well, it’s not that hard. Don’t use your teeth and mouth to open things. Instead, keep the tools you need nearby so you will be able to use your teeth.
Smoking Cigarettes
No one needs to be told that smoking is bad for your health. The same goes for your oral health. Like chewing tobacco, smoking cigarettes can stain your teeth and lead to gum disease because of the bacterial plaque on your teeth. In the worst case, smoking can lead to cancer of the mouth.
How to stop smoking? Also, in this case, the best thing to do is to stop smoking. You can talk to your doctors about what the best plan is.
Nail Biting
Nail biting is another bad oral habit that is because of repeated actions or even stress and anxiety. Even though this seems like a common thing to do, it could also be bad for your oral health. Biting your nails can weaken the roots of your teeth, which could lead your jawbone to absorb them and make your tooth fall out. You could also get gum disease from the bacteria under your fingernails if they get into your mouth.
How to stop nail biting? You can try to stop biting your nails slowly, but you should keep them short. Find out what makes you make this bad oral habit, like biting your lips so that you can stop.
Also Read: Why You Need To Drink More Water To Protect Your Teeth?
Teeth Grinding or Jaw Clenching
Another common bad oral habit is to grind your teeth or clench your jaw. It can happen while you are awake or while you are sleeping. When you grind your teeth, you can wear down your teeth and expose your nerves. Pressure can also lead to tooth abscesses and damage to the gums.
How to stop teeth grinding or jaw clenching?
If you find yourself grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw, you could talk to your dentist about getting a mouth guard to wear at night to relieve pressure on your teeth and gums.
Good oral hygiene includes brushing your teeth at least twice a day, flossing at least once a day, and not doing any of the things above that are bad for your teeth. Also, make sure to see your dentist on a regular basis. Take care of your oral health now. Dental Land in Summerhill, Ontario, has a wide range of dental services to meet your needs. On our website, you can contact us or just call us!
