5 Bad Habits That Can Ruin Your Teeth

The importance of regular brushing and flossing for good oral hygiene cannot be overstated. However, there are some other habits that people routinely engage in that can undermine all that good work. Though they may not be so obvious, they can still do a lot of damage.  Protect your oral health by avoiding these 5 bad habits that can ruin your teeth.

1. Toothpick Misuse

Misusing toothpicks can ruin your teeth. Toothpicks are useful for removing food debris between teeth when done carefully. Misuse can damage the enamel, leaving scratches on the tooth surfaces. Roughly pushing toothpicks between teeth can cause gaps to form, as well as injure gum tissue.

2. Teeth as Tools

Using your teeth as tools can also ruin your teeth. It’s never a good idea to use your teeth for opening bottles, packages, or cutting tape no matter how convenient it may seem. Doing so risks possibly injuring your jaw or cracking a tooth.

3. Pen/Pencil Chewing

You can ruin your teeth chewing on pens and pencils. Beware of this bad habit, while at work or anywhere else for that matter. Hard plastic and metal can cause hairline cracks in tooth enamel, which appear like brown tea stains. This can wear down the edges of your teeth and even chip them.

4. Nail-biting

In addition to possibly introducing all sorts of harmful bacteria into your mouth, biting your nails can ruin your teeth, by causing cracking, chipping, and a general wearing down of tooth edges and chewing surfaces. The unnatural positioning the jaw during extended periods of time nail-biting can also lead to jaw dysfunction.

5. Mouthguards

Playing contact sports without a mouthguard can definitely ruin your teeth, as they are at risk of absorbing heavy blows, which can crack, fracture, or be completely knock teeth out. Mouthguards provide cushioning by spreading out impact and thereby lessening it.

Enhance your oral health further with water flossing. Complementing daily string flossing with the inter-dental cleaning effectiveness of water flossing is a powerful way to reinforce your oral hygiene. The Aquapick AQ-230 or AQ-350 thoroughly cleans plaque bacteria from between teeth and below the gum-line. The countertop AQ-350 uses smart-sensing technology and has a large capacity, 600ml watertank. IPX7-waterproofing and its comfortable ergonomic design make it easy and safe to use in wet areas. The cordless AQ-230 is an IPX7-waterproof, portable model with a large 200ml tank and 360-degree rotating jet tip, giving it excellent water flow control. Both models deliver thorough cleaning of difficult-to-reach areas inside the mouth while massaging gums.