If you have beautiful, healthy, strong teeth, you’re one of the lucky ones. Many people struggle to keep their smile in good shape, sometimes because of their DNA draw, and sometimes because of bad habits. Preventable habits. Good dental care is available at your Louisville dentist’s office, but good dental habits begin at home. Here are just some of the bad habits you want to abandon to preserve your smile.
Slacking on Good Oral Hygiene
One of the worst bad habits when it comes to dental care is slacking on good oral hygiene. It’s your job to brush your teeth morning and night and floss at least once a day. This simple at-home dental care takes only minutes out of each day and protects your teeth from the food and bacteria that settle on your enamel and in between teeth. Taking care of your teeth minimizes the likelihood of cavities and will get you plenty of compliments from your dental hygienist and dentist at your teeth cleanings.
Biting Your Nails
You already know that biting your nails is a gross and unattractive habit. Finding a way to stop doing this is of course better for your nails but also better for your teeth. The friction of the teeth and nails coming together can gradually wear away tooth enamel or cause hairline chips and cracks in your teeth. These problems may not be noticeable to the naked eye, but they are visible on x-rays and can lead to tooth decay and other infections.
Opening Packages with Your Teeth
Your teeth have the important job of biting and chewing your food. They aren’t supposed to bite or tear into any other things, and that includes wrappers, pens, pencils, packages, and more. If you don’t have scissors handy to tear something open, wait until you do have the tool you need. One wrong move, and you could crack or chip a tooth and create a need for a porcelain crown or other dental restoration.
Grinding Your Teeth
Do you suffer from chronic headaches, especially in the morning? Does your mouth hurt all the time? Does your jaw click and pop? These are all signs of teeth grinding which is a serious, though typically unconscious, bad habit. Many people are misdiagnosed with migraines and even medicated for them, when the presence of the other symptoms clearly point to an oral health complication.
If you grind and clench your teeth, you will not only suffer discomfort, but you can damage your teeth and cause enamel erosion, gum recession, cracked teeth, damaged dental work, and more. A customized nightguard and TMJ treatment are the quick, easy answer to this complex problem.
Get Dental Care Near Me in Louisville, KY
We all have bad habits, but if yours directly affect the condition of your oral health you are setting yourself up for a host of dental complications in the future. Save yourself from discomfort, pain, and costs. Get quality dental care from Dr. Kiran Gill and her team at Natural Smiles in Louisville, KY. Schedule a consultation with our office.