AKA Top 5 Good, Bad & Ugly Things You Do To Your Teeth

Your teeth are absolutely amazing. Day in and day out they help you look good, allow you to eat food, assist with speech and maintain healthy bone levels in your jaws. Without teeth you would soon look different, have trouble eating, your speech would change and your cheeks would sink into your face because of bone loss. Nothing pretty about any of that! So let’s take a closer look at those unsung heroes of our body and see if we can revise our habits to allow them to stay in the ” GOOD” category!

Five Bad Things We Do To Our Teeth

Crunching things such as ice, popcorn kernels, apricot pits, etc. All of these items are much to hard for your pearly white teeth. You risk cracking and fracturing your teeth. Those little cracks get bigger and then cost money to repair.
How many times have you used your teeth as tools? Ripping open this or that…please stop that. Although your teeth are tough, sticking with there original intention…eating…keeps them healthy.
Clenching and grinding your teeth. If you think you do either of these, run to the dentist. You will grind your teeth away over time and then you will need to fix the problem you’ve had for a decade AND repair ALOT of teeth. Fix the problem now…usually with an inexpensive night guard!
Brushing with a hard toothbrush and/or with a lot of force. Hard brushes and lots of force can damage your gums and cause sensitive teeth. A soft bristle brush will gently clean your tooth surface.
Not flossing. Hmmm. You must floss at least once a day. Before bed. Please. The benefits of cleaning in-between your teeth are too many to list in this short post!!! But think about food being trapped there and never getting out! Yuck!

Five Ugly Things We Do To Our Teeth

Drink lots of sweet, sugary drinks. I want you to think tooth decay here. Sugar changes the PH balance in your mouth and sugar sits on your teeth. If you don’t brush what will happen? That’s right DECAY!
Drink lots of tea and coffee. Okay I know how it is…coffee is delicious and amazing. Tea…not so much…but I know a bunch of you like tea. Just go for your semi annual cleanings and get the stains they leave behind removed by your hygienist.
Aging teeth. Are your teeth getting older? As we age, our teeth may yellow usually because of what we consume. Now there are so many ways to whiten your teeth. (Of course whitening at your dental office will catapult you ahead much faster.)
Missing teeth. Missing teeth can not only be unsightly but the consequences of bone loss will cause you many more problems in the future.
Not brushing. Okay, I saved this for last. Brushing your teeth twice a day is a must (along with flossing but I covered that above). No brushing = bad breath, tartar, plaque, decay, crowns, root canals, dental implants, implant supported dentures…sure that might take 20 or 30 years but that is where no brushing leads. Again, save yourself a bundle and just brush…twice a day…thank you.

Five Good Things We Do For Our Teeth

See a dentist twice a year. You’re lovely and we love you. Taking care of your teeth and seeing a dentist and hygienist twice a year will keep your teeth in tip top condition!

Eating well. This goes along with #1. Good nutrition promotes good health. Your great eating habits will be reflected in your oral cavity!

No tabacco. Tabacco in any form can increase your risk of certain cancers. Just keep saying no to tobacco of any form!

Use a fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride strengthens our teeth…the enamel specifically. If your enamel is strong it will be more difficult for decay to set in. Yay for flouride!

Sealants for the young ones. When molars come in sealants can go on. Sealants give an extra boost the the tooth structure so decay can’t get in. We know how kiddies can be about brushing so sealants add that extra preventative care!

So there you have it the dental equivalent of the good, the bad and the ugly! We hope you enjoyed our post. See you next time! Your friends at Comprehensive Dental Care in Henderson, Nevada!