An unhealthy lifestyle not only adversely affects your overall health, but it creates a negative impact on your oral health too. As people live in a fast-paced world, where they want to do everything in a rush, dental care is mostly overlooked. Consequently, it creates severe dental problems, but dental issues can easily be prevented with preventive dental care.
Read this article to know the most common unhealthy lifestyle habits that affect your teeth badly. And get an overview of how dental care can prevent significant problems.
Carbonated drinks and sugary food
Sodas or carbonated drinks are a rich source of sugars and have an acidic PH (it is harmful to our teeth and gums). Likewise, high sugar foods like chocolates, candies, doughnuts, etc., are the primary energy sources for the harmful bacteria in our oral cavity. Too much consumption of such food or drinks can lead to adverse effects on your teeth. Also, it may form tooth erosions, which lead to tooth cavity treatment. Hence, an unhealthy diet should be avoided as much as possible to keep your teeth in good shape.
The dentist mostly advises using a straw to minimize the direct contact of the drink with teeth as a preventive dental care measure.
Brushing techniques
While taking care of the oral cavity, brushing techniques play a vital role. Improper brushing techniques can promote bacteria growth and damage teeth or gums. Irregular brushing habits can lead to many oral health problems that include bad breath, oral infections, cavities or tooth decay, tooth loosening, etc.
Hence, appropriate cleaning of the oral cavity or dental care is essential to keep your oral health in good shape. Proper brushing methods include brushing twice a day (before breakfast and after dinner). Plus, the brush should be held at a 45 angle and gently clean the teeth.
Tongue piercing
Tongue piercings may look like naive body modifications, but they can take a hefty toll on your mouth. A tongue piercing is discouraged by dentists as it can cause many teeth problems and mouth problems overall.
On the overlook, the piercing may cause your teeth to chip or break, which requires dental work to fix the problem. Frequently ticking the jewelry against teeth can and accidentally biting down too hard on the piercing can harm teeth. Besides, the piercing can interfere with dental x-rays. In short, tongue piercing is not recommended by dental care providers to keep teeth in good shape.
Alcohol and smoking
Alcohol drinkers have higher chances of plaque accumulation, further heading to an increased risk for tooth loss. Alcohol abuse or excessive intake causes dryness of the mouth, periodontal issues, staining of teeth, and many more.
Similarly, smoking also leads to staining of teeth, bad breath, and reduces taste sensation. If the smoking habit is continued over a while, it decreases the body’s healing capacity and makes the person (smoker) more vulnerable to many infections.
Hence, it is advisable to avoid alcohol and smoking to prevent oral cavity problems. Also, dental care becomes essential for people who smoke and drink.
Junk food
Most people like to have junk food because of its taste and wide range of variety. An excessive amount of sugar and other unhealthy substances adversely affect teeth and overall health. Unhealthy food relatively improves the risk factors to form tooth decay or cavity.
Junk food also consists of too many unhealthy fats and carbohydrates, high calories, and low nutritional value. Regular consumption of these can lead to damage to oral health and several diseases like diabetes, obesity, or heart problems.
Other most common habits that affect teeth include:
- using teeth as tools
- Grinding teeth frequently
- Too much snacking/binge-eating
- Chewing on pen or pencil
- Nail-biting
- Brushing too hard
- Chewing on ice cubes
- Playing sports without mouth guards using teeth as tools
- Grinding teeth frequently
- Too much snacking/binge-eating
- Chewing on pen or pencil
- Nail-biting
- Brushing too hard
- Chewing on ice cubes
- Playing sports without mouth guards
However, if you regularly take care of oral health, you can combat many dental problems arising from an unhealthy lifestyle. Have a look at the following dental care tips:
- Visit the dentist periodically
- Brush your teeth regularly but not aggressively
- Floss once a day
- Use fluoride toothpaste
- Use mouthwash
- Drink plenty of water
If you want to maintain oral health in good shape, it is mandatory to pay close attention to dental care. None dental problem should be taken lightly. Whether there’s a minor toothache or it’s time to visit your dentist, do not delay. Regular dental visits and optimal dental care are vital to prevent most dental problems. If you are looking for general dentistry in Roswell GA, TruCare is at your service. At TruCare Dentistry, we provide comprehensive dental care for people of all ages. Schedule an appointment to get the best dental care for you or your loved ones!