It is important to be informed about the habits that damage the teeth, in order to protect your dental health. You may not neglect oral and dental cleaning, and you may be going to regular dental check-ups. However, if you have habits that are harmful to your teeth, your dental health may still suffer.
Therefore, everyone, without exception, should be informed about what is harmful for the teeth. It is known that oral and dental health is not given enough importance in our country and some statistics confirm this.
The rate of those who have decayed teeth, missing teeth or dental fillings in people between the ages of 35 and 44 is around 11%. For people aged 65 to 74, the rate rises to 25%. The number of people who brush their teeth regularly and also regularly go to dental check-ups is quite small.
Therefore, many people complain of dental and gum diseases. When it comes to dental health, brushing usually comes to mind. However, some habits can seriously damage dental health.
For example, although it is not well known, consuming too much food, which is actually called snacks, is among the habits that harm teeth.
Excessive consumption of packaged foods negatively affects oral and dental health like many other systems of the body. It would be useful to start taking a look at these and similar habits that harm teeth.
What Will We Learn?
Habits That Harm Your Teeth
1. Consuming Coffee, Tea And Tobacco Products
Tea and coffee are among the most commonly consumed beverages in our country. We can say that the use of tobacco products is too high to be underestimated.
Beverages such as tea and coffee and tobacco products cause yellowing and staining on the teeth. In particular, changes in tooth color occur due to harmful substances in tobacco products. We can state that it also causes tooth and gum diseases.
Therefore, the consumption of tea, coffee and the use of tobacco products are in the first place among the habits that harm the teeth. Tobacco products can also cause cancer of the lips, tongue and mouth. It should not be forgotten that the use of tobacco products causes very serious diseases such as cancer as well as aesthetic problems.
For this reason, you should definitely stay away from the use of tobacco products. Tea and coffee consumption should also be limited as much as possible.
2. Grinding Teeth
Clenching or grinding your teeth during sleep at night is also one of the most common habits that damage teeth. If you have pain complaints such as tooth or jaw pain when you wake up in the morning, you may have a habit of clenching or grinding your teeth at night.
It is known that this problem mostly occurs due to stress. People who lead a stressful life are more likely to clenched their teeth at night. However, uncontrolled clenching or grinding can cause serious damage to dental health.
The most important reason why teeth grinding is among the habits that damage the teeth is that it causes wear on the teeth. Wear on the teeth can also lead to tooth decay. However, gingival diseases and gingival recessions may also occur due to clenching or grinding of the teeth.
Clenching or bruxism is not just caused by stress. Although the exact cause is not known, it is known that this habit is associated with situations such as anxiety, anger, frustration or tension. Sometimes, neurological or mental problems may accompany bruxism. As a result, the cause must be investigated and the necessary treatment must be done. In this way, it may be possible to protect dental health.
3. Consuming Too Many Snacks
Most of the packaged foods preferred as snacks may contain substances that may harm health. It should not be forgotten that these foods also contain extra fat, sugar, salt. Therefore, we can state that excessive consumption of these foods is among the habits that harm the teeth.
These foods can be harmful to the gums as well as the teeth. It is known that people who consume snacks frequently during the day experience problems such as dental caries and discoloration of the teeth more frequently.
Consuming sugar-containing snack foods frequently during the day means putting dental health at risk. It is important for health to stay away from these foods, which are also called junk food. In case of consumption, mouth and teeth must be cleaned.
Brushing the teeth is not enough for effective teeth cleaning. At the same time, dental floss must be used. In this way, it will be possible to prevent dental problems caused by the consumption of junk food to a large extent.
4. Excessive Consumption of Acidic, Sugary Foods and Fruit Juices
Consumption of acidic and sugary foods is not only among the habits that harm teeth. At the same time, it is necessary to strictly limit the consumption of these foods, which are harmful to health in many ways.
Keep in mind that these foods can be harmful to oral and dental health, as well as to the whole body. Excessive consumption of these foods, including energy drinks, leads to acid attack of the teeth during the day.
Therefore, it is inevitable for the teeth to go into the decay process quickly. Of course, fruit juices also contain beneficial vitamins for the body. However, the additives in ready-made fruit juices can also damage the teeth and gums.
It should not be forgotten that the sugar in it can be extremely harmful for the teeth. Instead of consuming ready-made drinks, it would be much more correct to turn to fruit juice consumption by squeezing fruits at home in order to benefit from the vitamin of fruit juices. Of course, it is also important to clean the teeth after consumption.
5. Piercing the Lip, Tongue or Teeth
Piercing has recently become one of the accessories that has gained a lot of popularity, especially in a certain age group. These accessories, which are attached to the tongue, teeth or lips, come into contact with the teeth. This causes damage and wear on the teeth over time.
Tooth piercings can cause tooth breakage. However, we can say that piercings are among the habits that harm teeth, as they can cause problems such as cracking in the teeth. The same effects apply to accessories worn on the lips.
Piercing can be harmful not only for the teeth but also for the gums. If it causes recession in the gums, even tooth loss may occur over time. One of the damages caused by these accessories is that they lead to the formation of bacteria in the mouth.
Even if oral and dental cleaning is not neglected, cleaning the piercing and its surroundings can be troublesome. In this case, bacteria formation problem may occur due to food and beverage residues. One of the piercings that often cause problems for the teeth is the type of piercing called Snake Eyes.
6. Brushing the Teeth Wrong
The prerequisite for having healthy teeth and gums is regular brushing of the teeth. However, brushing your teeth the wrong way can do more harm than good. Choosing the right toothbrush and brushing the teeth correctly is extremely important.
Behaviors such as brushing the teeth 6-7 times a day or applying too much force while brushing are among the habits that damage the teeth. It is necessary to brush the teeth 2-3 times a day and apply pressure at the ideal rate. 2 minutes of brushing time is also sufficient.
