Your goal should be to keep your teeth bright, healthy, and cavity-free for as long as possible. Over time, you may observe some changes to your smile due to natural wear and tear. This is hard to avoid – after all, you regularly use your teeth to bite and chew food, and the friction produced during this activity can eventually affect them. With that said, proper oral care and regular dental exams at our Seattle, WA dental practice can help you preserve the strength and health of your enamel, so these changes are minimized. To make sure that your smile is effectively protected, make sure you are not guilty of habits that can have a negative effect on your oral health, and put you at risk for more significant dental damage.
1. Clenching Your Jaw On A Frequent Basis
A jaw clenching habit can eventually weaken and wear down your enamel, making your teeth more vulnerable. This unhealthy practice can even do significant harm to teeth, leaving them chipped or cracked! The unfortunate problem with managing a jaw clenching habit is that people tend to clench their teeth at night, while they sleep. To protect you, your dentist can provide you with a custom mouth guard that will keep your teeth safe during the night.
2. A Habit Of Idly Chewing On Hard Surfaces
Do you sometimes find yourself chewing on ice cubes, or pen caps? This idle activity can create more wear and tear, and can also do more notable harm to your enamel. Work on eliminating habits like these, so that your teeth are not asked to go through more wear and tear than is already necessary.
3. Poor Brushing And Flossing Habits
While tooth decay can be considered its own category of oral health trouble, the erosion of your dental material would certainly count as “damage.” Cavities do obvious damage to your tooth structure, and that harm is permanent. While dental fillings and dental crowns are effective at restoring a tooth, this is harm that you should make an effort to avoid. To do a better job of caring for your teeth between visits, start paying more attention to your activity when you brush and floss. You should be spending at least two minutes brushing, and that time should be spent focused on reaching every area of your teeth. You should also floss on a daily basis to fight accumulating oral bacteria that can gather between your teeth.
Ballard Neighborhood Dentist Can Help Protect You From Dental Damage
At Ballard Neighborhood Dentist, patients can count on our practice to deliver quality oral health care services. If you want to set up a routine appointment, or if you are concerned that something might be wrong with your smile, you can contact our Seattle, WA dental practice at 206-789-2555.
