It happens that the interlocutor smiles at you - and as if the whole world is freezing around. Remember how often a pretty face is spoiled by blackened or “golden” teeth, plates or braces, which are forced to correct the consequences of illiterate dental care.
In fact, in the era of sweet soda, coffee and chaotic snacks, it is quite difficult to keep snow-white enamel. At the very least, it wears out from daily stress and the use of teeth for other purposes (for example, biting nails or the cap of a pen). Moreover, food pigments from beets, coffee, carrots and artificial dyes penetrate into its smallest cracks and settle densely, without leaving even after manipulations with a toothbrush. The only way out in this case is a professional hygienic cleaning at the dentist, which is advised to be carried out every six months.
Today we will tell you which 10 habits are most harmful to our teeth and affect the beauty of a smile.
10. Drink wine
In addition to the fact that alcohol destroys our blood vessels, increases the risk of hypertension and stroke, it also affects the health of the oral cavity. An alcoholic drink contains organic acids, which in combination with sugar destroy enamel, form microcracks and erosion on it. As a result, it is attacked by pathogens and carious bacteria, so wine lovers often change fillings and treat pulpitis. In addition, saturated red pigments eat into the formed micropores, densely and reliably staining the enamel. Whatever whitening paste you purchase, with regular use of wine you will need the services of aesthetic dentistry.
9. To bite nails
To begin with, this habit is unaesthetic and unhygienic, and it will tell any psychologist that you feel insecure and worry. But how does it harm your teeth and bite! During tooth grinding, enamel is damaged to the extent that noticeable pieces may break off from it. The edges of the incisors of the "rodents" are uneven, which is very noticeable during a smile. It is also necessary to remember that in the process of biting the nails and cuticle, a person more often pushes the lower jaw forward, which, if unsuccessful, can lead to injury to the ligaments and even subluxation.
8. Go in for sports without protection
Needless to say, mouthguards for athletes were not invented in order to breed money for consumers. In contact sports (hockey, basketball, American football, various types of martial arts, boxing, etc.), your jaw should be well protected - a strong helmet on your head, as well as mouth guards. If you neglect this simple rule, then after the next blow to the jaw or getting sports equipment in it, your teeth can simply leave the natural places, leaving you with a “cute” childish toothless smile. Remember that the complete restoration of molars (extension, restoration and implantation) takes a long period and can fly into a pretty penny.
7. Constantly snacking
As it turned out, chaotic snacks harm not only your metabolism and figure, but also your teeth. Each time a new meal arrives, carious bacteria also get the carbohydrates, sugar, and other nutrients necessary for reproduction. The more sweet, starchy and pastry comes in your snack, the more acid bacteria will release, and the more enamel will collapse. If you want to postpone the replacement of fillings and more often shine with a snow-white smile without a yellow coating - eat according to a clear schedule. At a minimum, remove bakery and confectionery products, fried and fatty foods, sour-milk and dairy products, as well as sweet soda from snacks.
6. Smoking
Tobacco tar, nicotine and other harmful compounds immediately rush to attack tooth enamel, destroying and weakening it. As a result, the smoker quite quickly forms a soft yellow plaque on his teeth, which, with normal oral hygiene, threatens to quickly develop into a solid dark stone. Gum, mucous membrane of the tongue, lips, inner surface of the cheeks also suffer from tobacco smoke. What a smile, when you have a hotbed of pathogens in your mouth, including fungi and the stomatitis virus. Do not forget that smokers are primarily given yellow faded teeth and an earthy complexion.
5. Brushing your teeth too hard
Sometimes diligently doesn’t mean right. If you brush your teeth too aggressively and thoroughly, pay attention to hygiene more than 2 times a day, then you risk increasing enamel wear and reducing its protective properties against environmental factors. Hard cleaning often provokes the loss of old fillings, injures the delicate mucous membrane of the gums, causing bleeding and related diseases (periodontal disease, periodontitis, gingivitis, etc.).
4. Drink sweet drinks
As we mentioned above, sugar is the favorite food of carious microbes. Seasoning is found in abundance in modern industrial juices and sweet soda, as well as in energy drinks, sports drinks and even flavored mineral water. Sweeteners and sucrose itself quickly lead to yellowing of enamel, increase the risk of tooth decay. Well, citric and phosphoric acids in the composition of citro completely weaken the enamel, corrode its surface and increase sensitivity to temperature and food irritants.
3. Nibble pencils
Along with nibbling nails, another bad habit can develop - pulling foreign objects into your mouth. Most often, this happens when a person is in thought or is very worried. Keep in mind that the teeth of a beaver that grinds a tree grow 0.5 cm each month. Your molars for life do not recover and grind irrevocably, so do not test them on wooden and other hard surfaces.
2. Teeth grinding
When a person is angry, worried, focused, or just frozen, he often starts tapping or gnashing his teeth. This habit is one of the most dangerous, as it leads to overstrain of muscles and ligaments of the jaw, chipping and destruction of enamel. Unfortunately, even if you control yourself in the daytime, at night the habit can unconsciously return, so it is advisable to know about it and put on a special cap.
1. Use teeth as a tool
Of course, your dentition is an instrument, but exclusively for crushing, chewing and grinding soft and moderately hard foods. The maximum for which the enamel surface is intended is to crack open peeled nuts, as well as chewing apples, carrots and so on. But because of their natural laziness, people have learned to use their teeth for other purposes too: they open bottles and packages, bite a thread, hold a bag with their hands occupied, etc. Use your teeth for their intended purpose, as it is not prescribed by the natural “instruction” to use them for any other goals. Get yourself a portable multifunctional gadget that includes a knife, an opener, and other useful elements.
If you do not want to become a regular at the nearest dentistry and take a tidy sum in your bathrobe every couple of months, then try to avoid the above bad habits.