Be true to your teeth or they will be false to you. One sole purpose of human teeth is, chewing food. It is a clear “NO” to use your teeth as substitutes for pliers, pins or scissors.
Things you shouldn’t do with your teeth:
1. Crushing ice- This exposes your teeth to extreme temperatures making your teeth sensitive. Also crushing on hard ice can gradually make your teeth undergo attrition. Sometimes if the cracks are present in the enamel which is the secondary factor causing sensitivity, on crushing hard ice in might increase sensitivity or lead to tooth fracture. Avoid crushing ice to better preserve your teeth, naturally.
2. Grinding or clenching- This habit is associated with stress and anxiety. It may not show obvious symptoms but, some patients might complain for facial pain or headache. Long term habit may wear down the teeth over time. Grinding and clenching is more while sleeping, one is unaware of it unless complications advances. It is important to know sign and symptoms arising due to grinding or clenching and seek regular dental care. Using night guard in patients with continued stress and anxiety might help them to resolve the habit.
3. Bottle opener- Do not use your teeth as bottle opener, it is the most dangerous exposure one can do with its teeth.The tooth enamel is likely to wear off with metal or plastic cap over the bottle. In addition to cracked tooth, already, opening bottle can lead to fracture of a tooth. If you don’t get the bottle opener, keep you beer bottle in the fridge and get one for opening it in the right way, nut not your teeth.
4. Cutting thread or ripping salo tape- Cutting on threads or tapes might form groves over your teeth making its appearance ugly. It might not harm majorly but frequent cutting by teeth may wear off the tooth layer by layer, gradually.
5. Thumb sucking- This the most common habit found in children with mixed dentition. Thumb sucking might lead to malaligned teeth and many jaw related problems. Also, in future with complete permanent dentition a child can develop mouth breathing caused by prolonged thumb sucking habit. Help your child breaking the habit to preserve natural teeth. Habit breaking appliance can be the options to reduce thumb sucking.
6. Mouth breathing- Saliva is important for acid neutralization and helps washing off the bacteria from tooth surface. Prolonged mouth breathing causes dry mouth problem which can increase chances of tooth decay and caries formation. Mouth breathing can change your facial profile, visibly with ageing.
7. Pencil biting- Biting on a pencil or holding any object in between your teeth may result in hazardous conditions, like for example- holding eye glasses, or cloth pins and walking with it be dangerous as you might trip and fall resulting trauma to the tooth. Continue to bite on hard object might cause more pressure on biting food.
8. Nail nibbling- The most common habit observed is to bite on nails. This cannot only harm your teeth but also the nail enamel. There is unknown force applied to teeth while biting on nails.
9. Hard brushing- As the teeth are surrounded by soft gums hard brushing recede gums. Also, the layer of teeth starts wearing off making the teeth sensitive. You need not brush for very long time, avoid using hard toothbrush and follow proper brushing technique.
10. Toothpick- Many individuals use toothpick to get rid away from the food particles trapped in between the teeth. Flossing is recommended over using a toothpick. Frequent usage of toothpick can cause receding of inter dental gums.
11. Not using mouth guards while playing sport games- Sports such as relay race, football, basketball, volleyball, baseball,cricket, and hockey constitutes high risk of injury to mouth and jaw. Mouth guards are recommended when one is exposed to heavy outdoor/ indoor sports. Mouth guards cover maximum portion of maxillary teeth in order to prevent injury.