3 Things You’re Doing Every Day That Affect Your Dental Health

Poor oral hygiene is an extremely common issue that can cause serious dental conditions as well as negatively affect your overall health. 

Neglecting dental hygiene will lead to severe tooth decay, gum disease, and tooth loss. 92% of adults between the age of 20 to 64 have had dental caries in their permanent teeth. About 47.2% of Americans aged 30 years and older have some form of gum disease. All these problems can lead to irreversible consequences and negatively affect life expectancy.  

There are three common habits that can damage your teeth and they are as follows:

1. You open bottle or packages with your teeth 

This is a common habit that can lead to both external and internal damage to your teeth provoking cracks and fractures. Using your teeth to open something might be convenient but it’s always a risk for your teeth. Being careless can even cause tooth loss. So, if you want to avoid visits to a dental implant specialist, it’s better to eliminate this habit.

2. You eat teeth-damaging foods

There are lots of foods that can damage your teeth in different ways. However, the most dangerous are the ones that can quickly lead to plaque accumulation, which in turn contributes to gum diseases and tooth decay. These foods have extremely high sugar content, can stick to the teeth easily. The list of these products is depicted below:

• Sticky candies and sweets


• Soda


• Ice (chewing ice — or any hard substance — can damage the enamel)


• Dried fruits (they get pushed into the crevices of the teeth)


• Starchy foods that can get stuck in your mouth like chips and crackers

Fortunately, you can prevent dental issues and even improve your dental health through the proper diet. You need to increase the intake of fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, cheese, milk, and other dairy foods, sugarless chewing gum, green and black teas, and foods containing fluoride.

3. You brush your teeth incorrectly

Incorrect tooth brushing is another common habit that can harm your dental health. Most people don’t even know that there’s a correct and incorrect way of brushing the teeth. People don’t even realize how harmful teeth over-brushing can be. Brushing your teeth in the wrong direction can have a negative impact on your teeth. 

The Importance of Oral Health

Dental health is more than just taking care of your teeth and gums. Scientists have found that poor dental health has been linked to a variety of serious conditions including cardiovascular disease, endocarditis, dementia, cancers, and more.

Conditions like periodontitis have even been linked to pregnancy complications and premature birth. To ensure proper dental hygiene, you should brush and floss your teeth on a daily basis, get rid of habits that harm your teeth, and see your dentist twice a year.