People are often advised to avoid excessive soda, caffeine, and candies to protect teeth from decay. No matter what dentists recommend, sometimes people do whatever they wish but sincerely maintain their dental health with toothbrushing twice daily and flossing daily. Regular dental visit for cleaning is great and helps you take good care of your teeth. But we all are aware of eating foods/drinks that are harmful to teeth, like carbonated drinks, ice, sugary foods, citrus foods, white bread, etc., but still, have it. Also, irregular toothbrushing leaves behind tidbits on the teeth and can lead to tooth decay. Besides, there are many bad habits that people subconsciously have.
Thumb sucking
Infants usually have thumb-sucking habits, and sometimes children continue them beyond 3-4 years of age. It can have severe implications for the development of your teeth. It can slowly pull your front teeth forward and affect their development or appearance. Your front upper and lower teeth may likely not meet due to excessive thumb sucking.
Infants and sometimes adults suck thumbs due to emotions like stress, anxiety, etc. It may be likely that they may have been sucking thumbs during childhood, and it was a stress reliever for them. It may have helped to calm them down. This can lead to misaligned teeth, like upper teeth may slant outward into an overbite.
One-sided chewing
One-sided chewing is quite common for children or adults and can seriously impact jaw development. The side that frequently functions will likely make one side of the muscles quite active, while the other side may not, eventually leading to asymmetric facial muscles. Chewing only on one side can clean that side, while the other can become prone to plaque and tartar. The tartar can also lead to bleeding gums, and inflammation of gums and bone surrounding and supporting the teeth is called periodontitis.
Tongue thrust
A human being swallows about 2000 times daily, which means the number of times your tongue thrusts. So, imagine the force applied to the front of the mouth daily; remember, sometimes it can also result in an anterior open bite.
Brushing too hard
If you think brushing too hard can remove your food tidbits, it can damage your teeth more than do good. Excessive brushing can irritate gums and erode tooth enamel.
Alcohol consumption
Alcohol can dry your mouth, preventing saliva from washing away the bacteria. It results in bad breath and puts you at a higher risk of cavities. So, it is better to avoid alcohol, and excessive drinkers must gradually reduce their intake.
Smoking tobacco
It affects your oral health and lungs. Smoking can injure oral health with tooth discoloration, tooth loss, tooth decay, oral cancer, etc.
Reach out to Foothill Dental Care for advice on your misalignments or other concerns regarding your dental health.