When it comes to improving general health and wellbeing, many people will focus on things like exercise and stress management. While those are undoubtedly excellent ways to improve a person’s health and wellbeing, they aren’t the only ways.
For example, did you know that many people forget to consider their dental hygiene and care? When a person doesn’t care for their teeth as they should, they open themselves up to all kinds of medical problems.
If you’re someone that doesn’t pay much attention to their dental hygiene and care, it might shock you to discover that some of these points might apply to you:
1. Irregular Cleaning
It stands to reason that one of the top ways to care for your pearly whites is to clean them regularly. Brushing, flossing, and using mouthwash are the best ways to achieve that goal, and they are methods you can easily incorporate into your daily routines.
If you’re guilty of cleaning your teeth every other day, now is the time to get back on the wagon. Daily cleaning will keep your teeth clean and give your gums a fighting chance to prevent infections.
2. Biting Your Nails
How can biting your nails a lot of the time cause harm to your teeth, you might ask yourself? The truth is, nailbiting is a habit that you need to kick because it exposes your teeth and gums to all kinds of bacteria lurking beneath your nails.
Some ways to avoid biting your nails and kicking such an unhealthy nervous habit include painting them with nail polish or consider opting for stress management techniques like meditation or exercise.
3. Confusing Your Teeth With a Pair of Pliers
Sometimes you need to try and unfasten something that is on really tight. You’re not near anything useful that can help you with such a problem, so what can you do? One bright idea that springs to mind might be to use your teeth as an alternative to a pair of pliers.
The trouble with that approach is, you can end up causing a lot of damage and pain to your teeth. For example, what happens if an object pulls or breaks your teeth? You’ll need an emergency trip to your local dentist to fix the problem.
4. Frequent Snacking on Sugary Foods
If someone had to describe you in one sentence, would they do so as “a person that has a sweet tooth”? If the answer is yes, and you’re constantly snacking on sugary foods, you could be in for a whole world of pain in the future.
That’s because the sugar in your favorite snacks can cause pain and discomfort to teeth that have become sensitized. What’s more, if you don’t regularly clean your teeth, you could end up doing further damage to your teeth and gums.
5. Smoking
Are you a smoker? If so, you’re under no illusion that your habit can cause a myriad of health problems, with some of them potentially fatal. What you might not know is that smoking can also cause a lot of dental-related problems.
For example, smoking can cause your white teeth to become gray or yellow. Unfortunately, that’s not the worst of it. Smoking can also cause tooth decay and loss, and even oral cancer in some situations.
6. Excessive Alcohol Consumption
Drinking to excess is also just as bad as smoking. Alcohol abuse can cause permanent damage to your vital organs – not just your liver. But, excessive alcohol consumption can also negatively impact your teeth.
The thing about alcohol is that it dries out in your mouth and stops your saliva from washing away bacteria in your mouth. As a result, excessive alcohol consumption can cause your teeth to develop cavities. Plus, it can even wear away the enamel on your teeth.
7. Biting Things That Aren’t Food
Lastly, the primary reason you have teeth is that they help you break down any food you consume into smaller portions that are easier to digest. Unfortunately, some individuals use their teeth to bite on things that aren’t food items.
Biting on objects like pens, pencils, or even the ends of eyeglasses, can cause your teeth to shift or crack. They also increase the likelihood of more bacteria entering (and staying) in your mouth.
The simple way to solve that problem is to avoid biting things that aren’t food. If you bite foreign objects due to nervousness or anxiety, it’s worth seeking alternative ways to deal with them.
*Image by Luidmila Kot
