Having a good, strong, healthy smile is something that's worth bragging about. If you are the type of person who prides yourself on brushing, flossing, and whitening your teeth, you may think that you are doing it all, but what if you are doing some things all of the time that are bad for your smile? While you may have some really good oral health habits, there may be some harmful habits that you are doing.
Habit #1: Over Whitening
One of the first things that you should know about whitening is that if you do it too much, it can weaken your tooth's enamel and cause them to become weak. While in-office dental whitening can almost always give you great results, having that done in addition to doing at-home whitening strips and using whitening toothpaste may make your teeth hurt and feel sensitive. The in-office whitening that you are doing will determine what other solutions your dentist may recommend that you use with it.
Habit #2: Using Your Teeth as Tools
When you don't have a bottle opener around or if you don't have nail clippers near you, you may be tempted to use your teeth as tools. Because your teeth are sharp and effective, you may think there's no reason to get up and look for the actual tool you need. However, using your teeth as tools can weaken them and even cause them to chip at the ends. As a tip, if you are a nail biter, you can try cover your nails with bandaids until you break the habit of biting them.
Habit #3 Brushing Your Teeth Too Hard
You want to brush your teeth hard enough to get rid of any plaque and tartar on them, but you don't want to brush them too hard. If you are in the habit of brushing your teeth too hard either by using a hard-bristled toothbrush or by applying too much pressure, you may be weakening your tooth's enamel. A better solution is to spend more time brushing your teeth with a soft-bristled toothbrush in a circular motion.
If you or your kids are doing any of these things, try to break these habits as soon as possible. If you want to learn a little bit more about how you can take better care of your pearly whites, reach out to a family dentist in your local area.
Our oral surgery and general dental website offers important information on how to prevent dry socket following a tooth extraction. After getting your tooth pulled, a protective blood clot develops over the extraction site. Many of our blog posts explain how this protective clot helps promote healing after an extraction.
You'll learn that if the clot is accidentally dislodged, dry socket may occur, which can raise your risk for infection and heavy bleeding. We'll provide you with important tips on how to prevent this by avoiding smoking and drinking through a straw. You'll also learn that swishing water around your mouth should be avoided for a couple of days following your extraction because doing so creates a suction that may dislodge your clot, leading to dry socket.