Taking care of teeth has become a priority, both for health and esthetic reasons. Technology is advancing, there are numerous solutions for every problem, and patients invest a lot of time, money and effort to have a perfect white smile. Nevertheless, there are a number of bad habits that we practice every day and we aren’t even aware of their harmfulness for the teeth. Here are the 10 most common ones:

1. Using your teeth as a tool

Biting labels, opening a bag of snacks, opening nail polish … All these seemingly small things you have done at least once in your life can cause damage to your teeth. Tiny cracks in the enamel and ragged edges can be the consequences of such behavior. Patients often complain about the appearance of these teeth, which are not easy to repair permanently.

2. Brushing your teeth immediately after the meal

Although we are taught to brush our teeth after every meal, doing it right after eating can cause tooth damage. It is necessary to wait for 30 minutes. The saliva neutralizes the acidity in the mouth, and then you can brush your teeth. This danger is for pregnant women who suffer from morning sickness and vomiting, so the stomach acid can attack the tooth enamel.

3. The use of hard brushes

Another phrase we hear almost every day in a dentist’s office is, “I brush my teeth with a hard brush because that’s the only way I feel my teeth are clean.” This is a misconception. Brushing teeth with a hard brush cause damage to tooth enamel and erosion. These teeth eventually become sensitive, and it is necessary to protect them with composite fillings (white fillings). There are soft brushes with dense fibers, which due to their density thoroughly clean the teeth without damaging them.

4. The consumption of coffee and tea

Surely you have heard that large amounts of coffee and tea can affect the color of your teeth. When you drink a cup of coffee, you should always drink a glass of water with it. Caffeine reduces saliva secretion and promotes an acidic environment in the mouth. This is another reason why drinking too much coffee or tea is a bad habit.

5. Chewing ice from drinks

Playing with ice cubes from your drink in your mouth will cause micro-cracks to form in your tooth enamel. This can eventually lead to bigger problems for your teeth. The appearance of visible cracks in the enamel and tooth sensitivity are some of them.

6. Dried fruit

The need for sugar is certainly better met by eating dried fruit than by sweets. However, dried fruit contributes greatly to the development of an acidic environment in the mouth. This favors the formation of cavities on the teeth. In addition, the dried fruit sticks to the teeth and thus remains in the mouth for a long time.

7. Excessive amounts of fruit

It is paradoxical that doctors advise eating as much fruit as possible during the day, while dentists advise the opposite. What should you do? From the point of view of dental health, it would be best if you eat the amount of fruit you want to eat in one day, all at once. This way, the fruit acid will not affect your teeth throughout the day. Half an hour after this meal, brush your teeth and you will not have to worry about those bad habits anymore. If you are not able to brush your teeth, a sip of water or a piece of cheese will help neutralize the acidity of the fruit.

8. Wine tasting

Wine is also a source of acidity for teeth. White wine is more acidic than red wine, and sparkling wine has an even greater effect on teeth. Wine experts teach us to keep a sip of wine in our mouths. This is the worst thing you can do to your teeth when it comes to consuming acidic beverages. If you want to save your teeth from the harmful effects, you should not keep the sip of wine in your mouth and, of course, neutralize the acidic environment with water after consuming wine.

9. Swimming in  the pool

If you often swim in the pool, the chlorine from the water can attack your teeth. Damage to the enamel of your teeth is one of the possible consequences. So when swimming, try to keep your mouth closed so that the water does not come into contact with your teeth.

10. Bad habits – piercing tongue and lips

These bad habits are common in younger patients. With pierced lips or a pierced tongue, they break off some of the enamel during eating or playing with the piercings.

If this information is new to you, the next time you do these things, remember what it actually does to your teeth. If you have a similar habit that you are not sure if it’s harmful or not, send us a question and we’ll be happy to answer it.