We are confident that you are all well aware of the importance of the whole ‘brush, floss, rinse, repeat’ rule to be performed at least twice a day. And though some of us still struggle to keep up with the biannual dental visits, we’re sure that you understand how essential routine checkups and regular teeth cleaning are for your oral and dental health.
Furthermore, your dental health depends a lot on your daily habits. Of course, this includes the seemingly harmless little things that are bad habits that can cause damage to your teeth. Since prevention is indeed better than cure, in this article we’d like to walk you through a list of harmful habits for your teeth that everyone needs to avoid.
- Eating sugary treats
We all know that sugar has a direct connection to tooth decay. But how? Simply put, when sugar is consumed it interacts with the bacteria within plaque to produce acid. This acid slowly dissolves the enamel and therefore creates cavities or tooth decay.
Also, keep in mind that some sugary treats are even worse than the others. For example, chewy candies can stick on your teeth for hours! We are not saying that you must leave all sugary treats altogether. However, it is important to be mindful and only have them once in a while as a special treat.
- Drinking soda and sports drinks
Considering that one serving of soda or even sports drinks can contain up to 11 teaspoons of sugar, these are the types of drinks that your teeth simply can’t afford to have, especially not daily.
Aside from being high in sugar, sodas also contain phosphoric and citric acids that can be extremely harmful to your teeth due to their low pH levels. These added chemicals both weaken and soften your tooth enamel, causing plaque formation that leads to enamel erosion.
And what about a diet soda, then? We are sorry to break it to you, but the artificial sweetener in these diet drinks means more acid in your drinks. Hence, it’s still bad news for your teeth.
- Teeth grinding
Teeth grinding is what happens when you clench your upper jaw while grinding your lower set of teeth. It’s a subconscious behavior that normally takes place during sleep. Therefore, people are often not even aware that they are suffering from it. According to experts, teeth grinding is often linked to stress, anxiety, and dehydration. Its nature as a subconscious behavior makes it rather difficult to be in control of this habit. However, wearing a mouth guard at night is effective in preventing the damage caused by teeth grinding.
- Brushing too hard!
When it comes to brushing your tooth brushing, it’s not the harder the better. Contrary to the belief that it cleans and removes plaque, brushing with too much pressure can eventually cause problems such as enamel erosion, gum irritation, and teeth sensitivity. Make sure to brush your teeth for at least 2 minutes using a soft-bristled toothbrush with a more delicate approach, especially to your gums!
Taking care of your dental health is imperative and directly lowers your risk of suffering from oral health problems. Thus, be kind to your teeth! Ditch the above bad habits starting from today! And also, don’t skip on your biannual dental visits. If you are on the island, feel free to contact us for an appointment with one of our excellent dentists.
Indonesian 
English