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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Imagine yourself sitting at an elegant table at the best restaurant in town. You’re enjoying a tasty bowl of clam chowder when you feel an odd crunch followed by intense pain. You might even hear a cracking sound as your teeth exert unbelievable pressure on a tiny bit of clam shell. It hurts like heck, because you’ve broken a tooth. If you think that’s the craziest way a person could break a tooth, think again. A lot of people do a lot of crazy things that lead to fractured teeth. Here are a few of them:
Common causes of dental damage
Dental damage is delivered daily by bad habits such as thumb-sucking and chewing ice. People who have a habit of nibbling raw lemons (trust us– they exist) and those who bite their fingernails also have a high propensity for common dental damage.
Thumb-sucking is not terribly dangerous to teeth until a child is around the age of five or six, when “grown up teeth” start to replace deciduous, or “baby” teeth. Children who suck their thumbs while adult teeth are coming in are setting themselves up for misaligned teeth and other dental problems that are commonly seen at at East Indy Dental Care and other dentist offices. Wean your child off the thumb as soon as possible to prevent breathing and chewing problems associated with misaligned teeth.
Lemons and other highly acidic food gnaw away at the enamel surface of the teeth. If this happens, your teeth will feel rough and uneven to your tongue. Fortunately, this is an easy dental problem to avoid.
People who unconsciously chew on a pencil or nibble on their eyeglasses frames are asking for dental trouble. Biting on anything but food can lead to cracked or fractured teeth as well as a host of other dental maladies. If you bite your fingernails, stop. That’s another way to crack teeth and wreck your beautiful smile.
Odd but true causes of dental damage
Everyone knows that tooth brushing is a good thing to do. What you might not know is that brushing too hard or with a too-stiff bristled brush can cause significant damage to tooth surfaces. Harsh abrasive toothpastes can wear down the enamel tooth surface making teeth super sensitive to cold foods such as ice cream. Not only that, over-vigorous brushing can seriously irritate the gums, as well.
How dental damage is treated
Dentists have a number of options when it comes to treating damaged teeth. Surface cracks, or “crazes” may require no treatment at all. Minor chips may be left alone or the dentist may smooth them with a special dental sanding tool. Major cracks that involve the root of the tooth may require a root canal procedure along with a cap to restore tooth function, says Colgate.
A tooth that gets knocked out during a sporting game may be replaced, as long as the root does not dry out and die. To prevent this, place the tooth in a class of milk or, if the patient is an adult, have them hold the tooth on the inside of the cheek taking care not to swallow the tooth.
Timely tips to prevent dental damage
Don’t suck on raw lemons, and don’t chomp on ice cubes. Choose a soft-bristled toothbrush, and use just a dab of American Dental Association-approved tooth paste. If you want a little extra whitening, opt for a bit of baking soda moistened with water to scrub away surface plaque without damaging dental enamel.
Don’t clench your jaw when you’re nervous or frustrated. This generally unconscious action causes more daily dental damage than you might think. Whatever you do, never use your teeth as tools. Sure, it may be quicker to pry open a bottle with your choppers than to get up, walk to the kitchen, and grab a proper opener, but it’s a very bad idea. Neither should you ever use your teeth to tear tape or snip threads.
Skip sodas and reach for a glass of cool water instead. In the long run, you’ll be more refreshed, and you won’t be bathing your teeth in a sea of chemical soup. Carbonated drinks contain gobs of tooth-eating acids that can cause tooth decay and damage gums, too.
Given good care and regular dentists visits, your beautiful smile can last a lifetime. Practice the good dental habits outlined above for years and years of healthy teeth and gums.
Aaron King has recently gained a position as a dental assistant and is enjoying his role in the practice immensely. A real people person, Aaron has taken to writing some articles to help answer questions and alleviate fears.
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