3 Things To Avoid To Keep Your Teeth Healthy
Keeping your teeth in great shape is important. However, sometimes a person can participate in bad habits that can cause the demise of his or her teeth inadvertently. Here are a few things that you should avoid in order to keep your teeth healthy:
Using your teeth for things other than chewing.
Sometimes, it can be tempting to open a bag of chips or a soda can with your teeth. This can place excessive bite pressure on the teeth and cause them to chip or crack. In addition, habits, such as chewing on ice or biting the tops of pens and pencils, can also be detrimental to your teeth.
To help ensure you don't use your teeth in unsafe ways, take along a small pair of scissors or a pocket knife for instances in which a tool may be needed.
Sucking on sugared mint or chewing sugared gum.
There are sugared varieties of mints and gum available for purchase, but it is best to choose a sugarless alternative. The sugar found in mints, gum and other treats can tooth decay. The oral bacteria found within the mouth feed on the sugar and release bacterial acid after eating. This acid weakens the tooth enamel and causes decay by dissolving the minerals found in the enamel.
When the bacteria have no sugar to feed upon, they do not release large amounts of decay-promoting acid. There are multiple types of sugarless gums and mints that can be substituted for their sugary counterparts. Some of these items include xylitol, which is a natural sweetener.
Xylitol can be beneficial to your teeth because it has anti-bacterial properties that prevent the organisms from sticking to the surface of your teeth to cause decay.
Gum or mints that include cinnamon flavoring can also be helpful, since cinnamon is also anti-microbial.
Sipping sodas throughout the day.
Sipping a soda throughout the day can give you a boost of caffeine to keep your energy levels up, but it can also be detrimental to your teeth. Sodas are highly acidic liquids and can dissolve tooth enamel as bacterial acids do.
Instead of choosing a soda, carry a bottle of water with you. The water will help keep you hydrated to prevent dry mouth. In addition, if the water is fluoridated, it can reduce your teeth's susceptibility to acid damage.
To learn more things that you can do to protect your teeth, schedule a consultation with a local dentist, like Dr. Robert Petrtyl or a similar doctor.
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