Want To Keep Your Enamel Healthy? Avoid Doing These 11 Things

1. Chewing on hard foods

We’re looking at you Beef jerky and pitted fruits.

2. Chewing on hard items

This includes fingernails, pencils, pen caps, and ice.

3. Grinding your teeth

If you grind your teeth, discuss it with your dentist. An appliance can shield your smile.

4. Eating too much sticky food

Gummy candy, dried fruit, and even protein bars can chip teeth.

5. Drinking anything besides water frequently

If your teeth are bathed in soda (sugared or diet), juice, coffee, or sports drinks habitually, you are asking for dental problems.

6. Playing sports without a mouthguard

Sports pose a major risk of tooth damage. Most kids are required to wear a protective mouthguard on the playing field. But fewer adults wear mouthguards for recreational activities like mountain biking and skiing. Stock mouthguards are one-size-fits-all but rarely fit well. Custom-fitted mouthguards from your dentist are more comfortable than the cheap boil-and-bite type.

7. Using a hard-bristled toothbrush

A hard-bristled toothbrush can break teeth and cause gums to pull away. Remove food bits and plaque with a soft (or extra-soft) toothbrush.

8. Ignoring dry mouth

Saliva is important. Saliva is necessary to neutralize acids and rinse bits of food off of teeth. It also helps clean the teeth of leftover food bits, helping to prevent plaque buildup. Constant dry mouth, or xerostomia, can lead to tooth decay. Talk to your dentist if you have dry mouth repeatedly.

9. Using teeth as tools

Use scissors to open a string cheese or pry the lid of a medicine bottle. Use a nutcracker if you are eating unshelled nuts. A quality dental crown can cost over eight hundred dollars.

10. Ignoring bad breath

Bad breath is often associated with bacteria build-up in the mouth. It might be a symptom of accelerating cavities. Discuss it with your dentist. (Don’t be embarrassed. We treat bad breath all the time.)

11. Ignoring jaw pain

If you suffer from jaw pain or notice a clicking sound, be sure to schedule an appointment with your dentist ASAP! These symptoms can be signs of a serious condition called temporomandibular disorder or TMD.

Is it too late? Have you already broken or chipped a tooth? We can repair it at Dastrup Dental. There are a number of restorative and cosmetic dental treatments for chipped or cracked teeth.

 

Contact Dastrup Dental:

(704) 892-6602

Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):

460 S Main St. #102
Davidson, North Carolina
28036