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Bad habits, such as nail biting, using teeth as tools, chewing gum, and frequent snacking, can negatively affect your oral health. These habits increase your risk of gum disease, tooth decay, jaw pain, and more. Here is how. 

Teeth-Clenching

While some people may argue that teeth-grinding isn’t a habit, but a natural reflex during sleep, it can still be damaging to your teeth and jaw. In addition to wearing down your pearly whites, clenching or grinding can lead to chronic jaw pain, headaches, neck pain, earaches, and more. The pressure from clenching the teeth can cause the muscles around your jaw to become sore and fatigued, which can cause tension in your neck and face. This can also cause pain in the jaw muscles themselves, leading to discomfort and even locking the jaw completely shut. Thankfully, we can fit you with a mouthguard that can protect the teeth and jaws from this nightly habit. A custom-fitted mouthguard will be much more comfortable to wear than the stock ones you may find at the store. It will also wrap around your top and bottom teeth to provide the most protection possible from the pressure and friction from grinding.

Nail Biting

Nail biting is a very common bad habit. In fact, almost ten percent of people bite or pick at their nails! Picking and chewing on your nails not only causes unsightly yellowing, but it can also cause tooth sensitivity and even chipped or broken teeth. What’s more, the behavior can also pass germs from your nails to your mouth, putting you at risk of infection.

Using Teeth As Tools

Putting pressure on your teeth as tools isn’t good for them. Whether it’s opening packages with your teeth or using them to open bottles, this can cause unnecessary damage to your teeth. Furthermore, using your teeth as tools can chip or even break them. Try to avoid this behavior as much as possible. Instead, use a bottle opener or scissors when you need to open a package.

Chewing Ice Cubes

Ice may feel good when it gets inside a sore tooth, but it’s a bad idea for oral health. The ice and chewing motion can cause damage to your teeth by chipping or potentially cracking your enamel. The cold temperature also causes blood vessels to constrict and send less blood to the nerves in the teeth.

Using Tobacco

Smoking and using other forms of tobacco are some of the worst habits for your oral health, and quitting can be one of the best things you can do to preserve your teeth. In addition to lung cancer and a host of respiratory issues, smoking can also cause tooth decay, gum disease, tooth loss, and more. Smokers are at a higher risk of oral cancer as well.

While quitting can be difficult, it is well worth the effort to protect your health. Those who quit smoking have a much better chance of reversing the effects of tobacco use on their teeth than those who continue to smoke. Quitting cold turkey is not ideal, though, so ask your dentist about the best cessation method for you.

Not Brushing Your Teeth Regularly

We can all admit to skipping our nightly brushing routine occasionally, but doing so on a fairly regular basis can be detrimental to your oral health. When you skip out on flossing and brushing, oral bacteria build up in your mouth. This bacterial buildup can lead to tooth decay and the erosion of your enamel over time. Once enamel is lost from your teeth, it cannot be replaced! Avoiding regular brushing also leads to gum disease, which is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults. Gum disease also increases the risk of other medical conditions like heart disease and diabetes.

For the best dental care tailored to your unique needs, visit Main Street Dental at 3195 S Main St Ste 225, South Salt Lake, UT 84115, or call (801) 467-2255.