Everyone has his or her own bad habits. From being glued to the phone to skipping the gym on a regular basis, bad habits stick with you. Some habits are bad for your overall health and some effect more targeted places like your teeth. The bad habits that deal with your teeth could result in pain or a less-than-perfect smile. To keep those pearly whites in great shape, read up on the following bad habits that ruin your teeth and see if you can break any of your own.

AVOID THESE BAD HABITS THAT RUIN YOUR TEETH AND NEGATIVELY AFFECT YOUR OVERALL HEALTH

Lemon Biting

It may be a fun dare or you may just really like lemons, but biting or sucking on lemons is a bad habit that wreaks havoc on your teeth. The acid in lemons softens and erodes tooth enamel, opening your teeth to cavities. It’s not limited to lemons either, any acidic fruit should be consumed sparingly including oranges, pineapples, and grapefruit to avoid harming your teeth.

Aggressive Tooth Brushing

Yes, you can, in fact, brush your teeth too aggressively. When you brush your teeth with a hard-bristled toothbrush or brush too forcefully you can damage your enamel and irritate your gums, even cause them to bleed. This is why dentists often suggest soft-bristled toothbrushes and a circular brushing pattern that avoids hitting your gums too harshly.

Ice Crunching

The tempting act of crushing ice with your teeth after you finish your drink is extremely dangerous to your pearly whites. Ice is harder than you think and can actually chip or crack teeth while you’re chewing. For people sensitive to cold, it can also trigger painful toothaches. It’s better to let the ice melt or get more to drink rather than risk chipping your tooth while chewing ice.

Teeth Grinding

The bad habit of teeth grinding while sleeping can cause problems for your teeth and your overall health. When you grind your teeth, you are slowly but surely wearing them down over time; think of a nail file on your nails. With enough pressure you can even crack or chip your teeth while sleeping. Teeth grinding can cause sore facial muscles and cause headaches. There are a number of reasons for grinding your teeth, but you can get a mouth guard to prevent damage and lessen effects.

Nail Biting

This common habit found in children and adults alike, affects your teeth and overall health just like teeth grinding. Fingernails hold many germs that get transferred to you when biting them, which can cause mouth infections or a general illness. The habit of biting your nails can also cause your pearly whites to shift out of alignment and cause long-term problems and may result in chipped teeth.

Mouth Piercings 

Having metal constantly hitting against your teeth and gums is a recipe for disaster. You run the risk of chipping and cracking your teeth with a mouth piercing and cutting your gums, cheeks, lips, and tongue. Your mouth is a hot bed of bacteria too, which can cause infections in your mouth when introduced to the cuts that come with mouth piercings.

Tooth Utilization

Using your teeth to open bottles or packages can, you guessed it, chip or crack your teeth. We often think our teeth are extremely strong but compared to metal or plastic they fall on the weaker side of the scale. Save the opening of containers to scissors, bottle openers, and box cutters.

Keep your teeth in good shape and your mouth healthy by avoiding some of these common but damaging bad mouth habits. With time and dedication, you will take one step closer to preserving your pearly whites. Talk to your dentist for ideas on how you can break some of these bad habits and any concerns about damages you already have.