What Not to Do With Your Teeth

Your teeth exist solely to facilitate eating and speaking, not using them for their unintended purpose. Here are a few ways that you should never do with your teeth.

Don't Chew Ice

Ice chewing can lead to cracked and chipped teeth, potentially leading to dental issues later on. Furthermore, chewing can also cause tooth sensitivity which is both painful and embarrassing to deal with, further damaging any existing dental work such as fillings or crowns that might exist in their mouths.

If you can't break this habit, try replacing regular cubes of ice with softer types, such as shaved ice or even a slushie that contains less ice. It will help minimize crunching and breakages to your teeth. Another strategy could be drinking through a straw to limit temptation to munch away at the ice in your cup.

Don't Open Bottles

An easy, convenient hack is using your teeth to open bottle caps. Doing so without considering its long-term ramifications may lead to unexpected outcomes. Unfortunately, our teeth were never meant to serve as tools. Doing this on an ongoing basis can damage them severely and require visits to the dentist for repairs.

No matter their strength, your teeth should never be used as openers of anything other than food and drink. Not only will opening things with your teeth, hurt your teeth in the long term, but at any point, your tooth can break or chip if you try to use it against something hard and strong.

Don't Brush Too Hard

As part of any oral care routine, brushing twice daily is an essential practice, yet many fail to recognize that too much pressure may actually harm their teeth and gums. Forceful brushing can cause toothbrush abrasion which damages the teeth and causes the enamel to be eaten away. This leads to sensitivity or even tooth loss.

To combat this issue, it is advisable to use a soft-bristled toothbrush with minimal pressure applied and take time to cover every part of your teeth, including chewing surfaces and tongue side surfaces. Also try brushing for two minutes each time before rinsing thoroughly between sessions of brushing.

If you're struggling to develop the habit of brushing correctly, investing in an electric toothbrush equipped with an inbuilt sensor that vibrates and alarms when you brush too hard could help you establish proper habits. Also check for damage or worn down bristles. New brushes should have straight, mostly normal bristles. If these start fraying early then that indicates too much force has been applied when brushing.

Receding gums are another telltale sign of brushing too hard. This can damage delicate oral tissue while also exposing more enamel to decay and plaque build-up. Over time this could progress into gum disease which is a larger problem.

Don't eat too many acidic foods

Too much acidic food and beverages can wreak havoc on teeth. Acids can erode tooth enamel, leaving your teeth vulnerable to decay and cavities, and encourage harmful bacteria growth on them. If it's impossible to avoid eating acidic foods altogether, try to wash down afterward with water or chew gum that stimulates saliva production to wash away food debris while neutralizing acidity levels in your salivary glands.

Some acidic foods to watch out for include tomato sauces, salsas and some fruit juices, which can erode away at your teeth's enamel and stain them over time.

‍