So many people live their everyday lives without giving much thought to their teeth. However, it is important to realize how certain types of food, activities and beverages can ruin the health of your teeth or gums. There are several habits you need to avoid to maintain strong and healthy teeth and gums.
Sugar
Sugar is indeed the most significant enemy of your teeth. In fact, the longer it stays in your mouth, the worse it is. Sugar is consumed by bacteria that produces acid in your mouth. This acid eats away the tooth enamel. Avoid foods like sweets and jelly that can easily stick in your teeth. You can also substitute fresh fruit for dried ones.
Beverages
Whether its sugar free or not, soda is just plain bad for your teeth and gums. This stems from the fact that you are bathing your teeth is acid. The same applies for juices that have added sugar.
Alcohol is also acidic and can erode the teeth. Even worse is that it dries out your mouth and reduces the production of saliva. Saliva has a huge role to play in the mouth as it helps to remove accumulated bacteria and plaque from the surface of the teeth. When your mouth has less plaque, there is a reduced risk for decay resulting from bacterial acids.
Crunching, sucking and sipping
You finish your ice tea and crunch the leftover ice. It may seem harmless but there is nothing further from the truth. The cold temperature and brittleness of ice cubes can actually cause tooth fractures. They can lead to microscopic cracks on the surface of the enamel which could lead to bigger dental problems in the future. Another potential risk is popcorn kernels. They can put undue pressure on a tooth resulting in a fracture.
Using teeth as tools
Dentists report that so many patients use their teeth for a great number of odd jobs. These range from tearing open a bag of potato chips, opening a bottle of nail polish, straightening a bent fork, ripping off the price tag from a piece of clothing or pulling out a watch stem, just to mention a few. Carrying out such tasks with your teeth can be very hard on them. Traumatizing your teeth in this way can cause the edge of a weakened tooth to chip off or even fracture.
It is essential to consider what you are putting in your mouth before you decide to use your teeth as a set of tools. Keep tools such as pliers and scissors handy for the dirty work and work on maintaining your dental health.
Smoking tobacco
In addition to discoloring your teeth, tobacco smoking increases the buildup of tartar and plaque that causes stains on them. Tobacco is also associated with various gum diseases and increases the risk of development of oral cancer.
Tooth aches, bleeding gums and cavities are all signs that there could be something wrong with your oral health. Locating a specialist in cosmetic dentistry Houston does have many to choose from. You need to seek help from a competent professional.
And that competent professional can be found at Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons of Houston (OMSH). Contact them today as a source in caring for your teeth.
