Rating of daily habits that lead to tooth decay and gum disease: what you need to give up for a beautiful smile
A beautiful smile is not the right lipstick, and not even botox lips. The main guarantee of an attractive smile is the condition of your teeth. First of all, the psychological aspect is at work here. When you know that your teeth are in order, you smile freely and do not hide emotions, intelligently hiding behind your palm. Outsiders also care about your teeth: according to statistics, 65% of people in a conversation turn their attention to caries, yellowness, cracks and uneven teeth of the interlocutor. Defects can be corrected in dentistry. But it is also important to do everything to prevent them from appearing again. We have compiled a rating of the most harmful habits that spoil your teeth quickly, inexorably and irrevocably.
Habit 1. Biting nails
The habit of biting nails reminds of itself during stress / istockphoto.com
The habit of biting nails for many comes from childhood. Buried deep within, it manifests itself most often during times of stress. If there is a lot of stress and they are regular, the habit can take root for a long time. And this is not only unaesthetic, but also very bad for your teeth. The most commonplace: you damage the tooth enamel. Chips and cracks appear on it, which in the long term leads to caries. But the dirt under the nails and microbes on the hands may well get into the oral cavity and provoke gum disease.
Habit 2. Gnaw pens and pencils
This habit is familiar to many office workers, and often symbolizes "deep thought work." However, in essence, this is a substitutionary habit that arises as an alternative to nail biting. The consequences are similar, with one big difference: tooth enamel from pens and pencils is damaged more quickly. Usually "rodents" clamp the writing instrument between the teeth in a certain place. It is in this place that the abrasion of tooth enamel will begin, which will become the starting point for caries /
Habit 3. Opening bottles with teeth
Don't use your teeth as a tool / istockphoto.com
This is more typical for men, but many women also sin by using their teeth as a tool. For example, to open a bottle of medicine, snack on string or tape, chew on a nut, or even hold a bag of groceries to free your hands. Such tests of teeth for strength can lead to bad consequences. The smallest thing is chipped teeth. But there are also cases of complete tooth loss.
Habit 4. Snapping sunflower seeds
From the very childhood we were told that it is harmful. And yes, we all know how to peel seeds with our fingers. However, this habit usually works automatically. When we take a packet of seeds "for a conversation" or for a comfortable viewing of a movie, the control over the clicking weakens, and the seed is drawn into the mouth by itself. The more often this happens, the more teeth are grinded. Over time, too active seed lovers have a distinctive feature - an elongated notch between the front (most often upper, but sometimes lower) teeth.
Habit 5. Brush your teeth intensively
Intensive brushing of teeth damages enamel and gums / istockphoto.com
In some situations, perfectionism is overkill. And brushing your teeth is one of them. Vigorous, long-term and thorough brushing of teeth with a brush injures the gums and damages the tooth enamel. In the long term, inflammation of the gums at the base of the tooth may occur. If you do not treat it and continue to work diligently and aggressively with a toothbrush, you can "clean up" before falling out. To achieve maximum "sterility" in the mouth, combine several methods of cleaning: after the brush, use a mouthwash or an irrigator.
Habit 6. Grit your teeth
This habit is psychological in nature and is often very difficult to self-control. Bruxism (involuntary teeth grinding due to a spasm of the masticatory muscles) usually occurs during sleep, but can also be a person's response to stress during the day. This has a very bad effect on the teeth: they wear out quickly. Sometimes to such an extent that a person's bite changes. Therefore, it is better for people with bruxism to wear a mouth guard at night, and to take care of themselves as much as possible during the day.
Habit 7. Snack during the day
Replace snacks during the day with a glass of water or an apple / istockphoto.com
Constant snacks leave more and more pieces of food in the mouth. This unscheduled buffet table is very beneficial for the pathogenic bacteria that cause tooth decay. By “eating up” your snacks, they constantly release acid, which in turn constantly eats away at the tooth enamel. The more often you indulge yourself with a cookie, the more continuous this process becomes, and the sooner a visit to the dentist will shine for you. Solution number one: Eat more in your main meals and replace snacks with a glass of clean water. And if you really feel unbearable, keep an apple close at hand.
Habit 9. To smoke
Yellow teeth smoker - the least that threatens you as a result of cigarette abuse. Firstly, during smoking, there is a sharp temperature drop in the mouth (cold air and hot cigarette smoke), due to which microcracks appear on the enamel. Secondly, nicotine constricts blood vessels and disrupts blood flow to the gums: bloodless "whitish" gums are one of the main signs by which dentists recognize a heavy smoker. This is fraught with a disease such as gingivitis, which, if untreated, turns into periodontitis and causes tooth loss.
Habit 10. Drink coffee, wine and soda
Wine contains acids and dyes that eat away at the enamel / istockphoto.com
Among the drinks harmful to the teeth, coffee is perhaps the most "harmless". It causes darkening tooth enamel, which can be easily dealt with with a whitening procedure. The only thing that even dentists recommend to whiten your teeth no more than once every three years. Therefore, you should not abuse caffeine. But wine not only stains the tooth enamel, but also contains active acids. Penetrating into microcracks, they corrode the protective coating of the tooth and contribute to the development of caries. Soda is generally a killer cocktail of acids and sugar, which damages the enamel and immediately leaves on it a "nourishment" for pathogenic bacteria.
Habit 11. Save money on the dentist
We treat visible dental defects almost immediately. But what is out of sight and at the same time does not hurt, is often postponed "until better times." Especially when it comes to some global costs such as installing a crown on a chewing tooth or a bridge, if one of the teeth has been lost. However, it is highly discouraged to delay with such treatment. If you do not have one or more teeth, over time this leads to deformation of the entire dentition. A crooked smile is the least evil in this process. Much worse problems with bite and closing of the jaws.
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