The Great Oral Health Checklist
Only brushing your teeth twice a day does not ensure good oral health hygiene. You may be practicing various bad dental habits, which can lead to many mouth ailments and hefty dental bills. To ensure that you do not fall to them, here are some bad dental habits and how and why to avoid them.
1) Ignoring Flossing
While brushing is an effective way to clean your teeth, a brush does a poor job of cleaning between teeth or the gaps between your teeth. Flossing is the perfect way to get rid of food particles that get stuck between your teeth. Flossing at least 5 times a week is a good practice.
2) Using a Hard-bristled Toothbrush
While a hard-bristled toothbrush can help you remove that extra plaque, it can erode away your enamel as well. Our teeth comprise of three layers, the enamel, the dentin and the pulp. The outermost layer i.e the enamel falls prey to a hard-bristled toothbrush and erode, exposing the dentin and pulp which are most susceptible to damage. Thus one should avoid using a hard-bristled toothbrush as it leads to tooth sensitivity.
3) Fingernail Biting
Didn’t your parents scold you for biting your fingernails when you were a child? Do you still have that habit? If yes then you need to stop it right now. The pressure of biting your fingernails over a long period of time may cause your tooth to crack or shift. Moreover, fingernails often harbor a lot of germs which can be transferred from the fingernails to the mouth while nail biting and cause myriads of gum, tooth or oral problems.
4) Teeth Grinding
Sliding of teeth one over the other in a to and fro motion is called teeth grinding. It usually happens while a person is asleep and can lead to fractured and broken teeth. Bridges, crowns, root canals or dentures may be required to treat the problems caused by tooth grinding.
5) Consuming Soda
Do you sip soda everyday? Soda is extremely acidic and can completely damage your enamel. Moreover, the sugar present in carbonated drinks feeds the bacteria present in your mouth, thus helping it to perpetuate all across the mouth.
Above are few bad dental habits which you should take care of and must give up as soon as possible because we get only one pair of permanent teeth and it’s our duty to preserve them as long as possible. If you require dental cleaning, book an appointment with a professional dental service.
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