5 Dental Habits That Can Ruin Your Smile

According to statistics, many adults have missing teeth, while permanent teeth are built to last a lifetime. It shows how people still don’t know how to maintain good oral hygiene and protect their smiles. Lack of knowledge in society is the main reason for dental problems, and many still believe in old oral health myths and misconceptions. If you don’t want to be part of the statistics, you have to educate yourself and discover how to protect your oral health in the most effective way possible. At Amirad Family Dentistry, our dentists can teach you how to preserve your shiny smile and protect your pearly teeth. It’s highly recommended to focus on preventive dentistry as well as cosmetic dentistry to maintain a healthy mouth. An integral part of preventive dental care is avoiding damaging habits that can ruin teeth. You may not know how these habits can damage your oral health, so it’s important to ask your dentist for help and detect those habits. In this way, you can give up those damaging habits and enjoy your smile for a longer period of time. Today’s blog discusses the most prevalent habits you need to avoid.

Brushing Too Aggressively

If you want to prevent tooth decay or other dental emergencies, it’s necessary to brush and floss your teeth regularly. However, brushing your teeth too vigorously can wear down the enamel and cause decay over time. If your dentist sees the enamel damaged, they may recommend a cosmetic crown to prevent further problems. Ideally, you have to use a soft-bristled toothbrush to clean your teeth.

Smoking

Besides harmful health effects, smoking can also be detrimental to your teeth. The risk of gum disease and infection is much higher in smokers, who usually have yellow and stained teeth. In some cases, professional teeth whitening might not be effective in removing those stains, and they need to hide tooth discoloration using porcelain veneers or crowns. If you want to quit this destructive habit for good, it would be best to consult with your dentist to find the best way.

Unhealthy Diet

A very important reason for severe toothache, especially in children, is eating too many sweets. It’s fine to treat yourself to a surgery snack occasionally, but it shouldn’t be a habit. Otherwise, your tooth becomes severely decayed, and a dental filling is required to repair it. In more severe cases, the damaged tooth can’t be saved by a filling, and your emergency dentist recommends tooth extraction to prevent damage to other teeth.

Teeth Grinding

Bruxism can cause notable enamel erosion and can make your teeth crack over time. One of the best preventive ways to this problem is wearing a mouth guard to prevent further damage to the teeth.

Avoiding the Dentist

Some conditions like fear of dentistry can make you feel you don’t like to visit a dentist at all. Professional cleanings and dental checkups are a few important things a general dentist performs in regular visits. That’s why it’s important to schedule to see your dentist once in a while, even if you don’t like it.