Don’t Put These In Your Mouth
There are some everyday things, including certain foods, that could be harmful to teeth and gums, and therefore, have no place inside your mouth. Or you shouldn’t be using your mouth, your teeth for that matter, to perform anything with them. Let’s look at these no-no items to think about.
Lemons. These fruits are delicious and nutritious snacks and you wonder what harm they can do. Lemons are highly acidic and people have a habit of sucking on them and keeping them in their mouth for longer periods of time than they would food. Sucking on lemons can lead to enamel erosion and disrupts the acidic and basal balance in the mouth.
Ice. Many of us love to chew on ice or ice chips. Though natural teeth are strong, subjecting them to habitual ice crunching can cause fractures, cracks or chips, and can certainly damage synthetic crowns. It can also affect the stability of teeth in their sockets or filling material on a tooth. They may not be visible to the naked eye but cracks may soon harbor bacteria and lead to tooth decay.
Can bottle caps and Plastic bottle tops. Some people use their teeth to open can bottle tops and those made of plastics. Can bottle tops can cause a tooth or two to split down the middle. You may lose the tooth entirely and need an implant and implant crown. Plastic caps can not only cause teeth fractures but muscle and temporomandibular joint pain and problems. That twist of the head and jaw can put a strain on chewing muscles and joints.
Nails. The habit of nail-biting can flatten the edges of your front teeth. Over time, teeth can wear faster and cracks on the enamel can appear, until they become hypersensitive. The biting action also puts the jaw in an unnatural position that can stress your joints, can cause grinding and clenching – and this prolonged pressure and friction can cause pain in your teeth, ears, and jaw.
Hard candy and Potato Chips. Hard candy lingers in the mouth and takes a long time to dissolve, maybe up to ten minutes. It’s high in sugar and there are no health benefits associated with hard candy. Sometimes candy is chewed and that can lead to cracked teeth and cuts on the inside of the mouth. Potato chips are no good either; they’re loaded with starch, which becomes sugar that can get trapped in and between the teeth and feed bacteria. The acid in chips can linger and lasts a while.
Great Teeth-Sparing Ideas in Bellevue
Know more about everyday items, including foods, that you may not have any idea about being harmful to oral health. Come by Overlake Dental in Bellevue and have a consult with your Bellevue dentist.
