15 Habits that Damage your Teeth

Going about our day to day routine it is easy to forget a few simple habits that can be drastically damaging your teeth.

See our top 15 below.

1: Smoking

Smoking is by far one of the biggest contributors to dental disease.

Smoking not only causes staining of the teeth, its a major contributor to Periodontitis (irreversible gum disease) and oral cancers.

Speak to your dentist about the variety of smoking cessation strategies.

2: Bottles at Bedtime

Putting your baby to bed with a bottle of milk, juice or formula may seem like a good idea to help them settle or sleep but its actually doing more harm than good.

Milk , formula and juice all contain sugars (natural and sometimes added) which cause decay, the constant contact on the teeth from frequent sipping increases the risk of tooth decay.

The best option for sipping from a bottle a night is definitely water.

3: Tongue and Lip Piercings

Biting down on the metal studs of tongue and lip studs can crack and break teeth.  Not only that, the metal rubbing against the gums can cause significant damage leading to tooth loss and infection.

The piercings also harbour bacteria that increases the risk of sores and infection.

4: Teeth Grinding

Teeth grinding or bruxism is often due to stress and happens while you are asleep.

Excessive grinding causes wear on the teeth and can lead to cracks and breakages it can also cause pain in the muscles that move and elevate the jaw as well as headaches.

Wearing a night guard or splint can help reduce the damage caused by grinding, however it is always best to speak to your dentist if you suspect you may have this habit.

5: Sticky Gummy Lollies + Throat Lozenges

All sugary snacks promote tooth decay, some more obvious than others.

Gummy lollies stick in the grooves of the teeth resulting in sugar and acids being stuck to the enamel of the tooth for hours.

Throat lozenges and cough lollies aren’t necessarily healthy, most are loaded with sugar. Constant sucking on these types of lollies also leaves the teeth soaked in sugar for a long period of time allowing the bacteria to convert the sugar into acid that eats away the tooth enamel.

Always rinse with water and brush well after having any sugary lollies and lozenges.

6: Soft Drink

Soft drinks are loaded with added sugar, some contain up to 10 teaspoons per serve!

Many also contain phosphoric and citric acid which also eats away the enamel of the tooth.

Diet soft drinks have less sugar but often more acid so still equally as bad for the health of the teeth.

7: Opening Things With Your Teeth

Opening plastic wrappers, bottles or other packaging with your teeth can causes chipping and breakages.

Always best to use actual bottle openers and scissors and save the teeth for eating.

8: Sports drinks

Don’t be fooled by the sports drinks marketing, these beverages are usually full of sugar. Like lollies and soft drink frequent consumption leads to an acid attack on the teeth. Best to avoid and drink water.

9: Fruit Juice

Fruit juices are naturally high in vitamins but often contain loads of added sugar.

Some juices contain almost as much added sugar as soft drinks, always best to look for one with no added nasties. Juice can also be diluted with water.

10: Constant Snacking

Frequent snacking produces higher levels of acid in the mouth leading to greater risk of tooth decay.

It is best to avoid snacking too frequently or stick to snacks that are low in sugar and starch, for example celery and carrot sticks.

Snacks such as potato chips often get stuck in the grooves and crevices of our teeth. The bacteria in plaque also break down starchy foods into acid thus causing a constant acid attack when eating chips as a snack.

Always brush and floss after eating starchy snacks that stick to teeth.

11: Chewing Pens and Pencils

Chewing on pens and pencils can be tough on the teeth. These hard materials can cause chipping and breakages of the teeth.

Best to go for sugar free gum when you feel the need to chew.

12: Excessive Tea and Coffee

Drinking a lot of tea and or coffee isn’t necessarily damaging to the teeth but can cause staining or for the tooth to become a yellowish colour.

Luckily the dentist can help remove stains or whiten the teeth.

13: Playing contact sports without a mouth guard

Playing sports such a football, soccer , AFL, hockey and other contact sports without a sports mouth guard can be a huge risk. A mouth guard is a moulded plastic used to protect the teeth from hard knocks, chips and breakages.

Usually they are custom made by your dentist and are a quick easy way to save you a lot of time and money treating knocked or broken teeth.

14: Red & White wine

Red and white wine are high in acids that also with sugar eat away the enamel of the teeth causing erosion, rough spots and decay.

Red wine also contains tannins which stain the teeth.

15: Binge Eating

Binge eating is usually an excessive amount of sweets that can make you feel really guilty.

Not only does it increase the risk of tooth decay but it can lead to purging. (Vomiting)

The strong acids in vomit cause erosion of the enamel , bad breath and other health problems. Always speak with a doctor regrading any health concerns.