You can keep your teeth strong and healthy by brushing them twice a day, flossing them once a day, and visiting your dentist every 6 months. You can also keep your teeth healthy by avoiding these 7 bad habits.
- If you smoke or chew tobacco, quit today. Tobacco irritates oral tissue, stains teeth, and increases your risk for tooth decay, gum disease, and oral cancer.
- Do not chew on hard objects which can cause teeth to shift or fracture. These objects include ice cubes, pencils, pens, and fingernails.
- Drinking coffee and tea may be a regular habit for many people, but these beverages can stain your pearly whites. Additionally, the caffeine in coffee and tea dries out the mouth, which increases your risk for tooth decay.
- You can harm your teeth if you use them to open plastic bags or tear off pieces of tape. Teeth are not meant to be tools, so find a pair of scissors to use instead.
- Sipping soda constantly throughout the day wreaks havoc on your teeth. This is because the acids and sugars in sodas will be constantly eating away at enamel.
- Grinding and clenching your teeth may merely be a coping mechanism for stress, but it can wear, crack, shift, and loosen your teeth. Quit the grinding habit and find a way to reduce stress in your life.
- Snacking throughout the day has a similar effect to sipping soda throughout the day: acid attack. If you do eat snacks, try healthy ones rather than foods which are sugary, sticky, or acidic.