Boise Dental Teeth Damaging Habits

At Summit Dental, we know you care about the health of your teeth. You work hard to take care of them by brushing and flossing every day and visiting us for regular cleanings and exams. However, there are simple habits that can damage the integrity of your smile. That’s why we’d like to provide you with the following bad habits that many people throughout the Treasure Valley have that can ruin their teeth.

Chewing On Ice

While ice cubes help keep our drinks cool and refreshing during the summer, ice can potentially harm and even crack your teeth if you chew on it. Innocent enough, chewing on ice can actually cause tiny cracks in your teeth to develop which can turn into much bigger, more expensive problems down the road.

Biting Your Nails

Biting your nails not only puts you at risk of ingesting harmful bacteria and viruses, it can also chip your teeth and distort your jaw placement. While it’s a hard habit to break, doing so will provide you with healthy nails, while keeping you and your teeth healthy.

Using Your Teeth As Tools

We’re all guilty of using our teeth as tools when we don’t have scissors nearby. Unfortunately, using your teeth to open packages, bottles, or bite off tags can break or chip your teeth while damaging your current dental work.

Smoking

Smoking is an unhealthy habit that poses serious risks to both your Boise dental and overall health. Not only can nicotine hurt the enamel of your teeth, the smoke from cigarettes contains thousands of dangerous chemicals that can damage healthy cells and cause cancer.

Drinking Soda

People throughout the Treasure Valley typically enjoy drinking a can or more of soda a day. However, soda and other carbonated drinks can be very bad for your teeth. Like lemons, they contain acid and sugar that can damage the enamel of your teeth and cause tooth decay.

Brushing Aggressively

While it’s important to brush and floss your teeth twice a day, it can hurt your smile if you’re doing it too aggressively. Brushing and flossing too hard can erode your teeth and result in damage to your gums that can, in turn, cause them to recede. That’s why it’s important to be gentle when you floss and brush your teeth with a soft-bristled toothbrush, not a hard or medium one.

Summit Dental Group

At Summit Dental, we understand how easy it can be to develop bad habits that can hurt your smile. However, once you identify them, they can be just as easy to break. To find out more or to schedule an appointment, contact us at (208) 314-2275 today. Our dedicated team of Boise dentists would be more than happy any questions you may have while ensuring your smile is bright and healthy.