Bad Habits You Need To Break When It Comes To Oral Health

Your teeth are a major component of your body, even though they are very small, they do a lot of work. Your teeth chew and smash your food to make it easier to consume. Without teeth, it can be very difficult and frustrating to eat the foods you want to eat. This is why taking better care of your teeth should be a priority in your life. A lot of people, though, take advantage of their teeth and their oral health. Taking them for granted can lead you down a path of poor oral health. Bad habits can lead you down this road, but there are things you can do to change all of that. Read on for some of the bad habits you need to break when it comes to your oral health.

Chewing On Things

Stress can take its toll on the body, and your teeth are no exception. Some people may chew on things as a method to deal with stress in their lives. Things such as pens/pencils, their own fingernails, straws, ice, and just about anything else they can get their hands on. If you are someone that chews on things, this can be very bad for your teeth. Chewing on anything can eventually wear down the tooth or the enamel, wear out your jaw muscles, and injure your gums if you aren't careful. If you are a chewer, you need to stop this immediately. Find some other way to deal with stress.

Smoking Or Using Tobacco

If you are a smoker or a tobacco user, you need to stop this immediately, as well. Smoking can shrink the capillaries in the body, and when this happens in the mouth, it can eventually lead to the shrinking of the gums. Receding gums can lead to tooth loss. Tobacco can also cause issues with your gums, and it can cause gum disease or even rot your teeth. The tobacco sits in a pouch directly on the gums, which can lead to disease in this general area, as well as stains to the teeth.

Teeth Grinder

If you grind your teeth, this may also be due to stress. The grinding of your teeth is essentially the same as chewing on objects, although your teeth are the only thing suffering, not just a pencil/pen. If you grind your teeth, it can lead to TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorder. This is when the muscles in your jaw wear out, and eventually, that fluid motion of opening and closing your jaw can begin to wear out and you may have constant pain or hear a clicking noise when you chew or talk.

If you have any of these bad habits, you need to stop them immediately to prevent issues with your teeth, gums, or jaw. Talk to your dentist about other bad habits you may have pertaining to your oral health and how you can combat them. Reach out to a local clinic, such as Stanfield Dental, to learn more.