Our North York dental hygiene services tell all of our patients that your teeth are meant to last you an entire lifetime. Because we want each and every one of our patients to be knowledgeable about how to look after them, we’ve put together a list of the habits that are bad for your smile.
Not Having Regular Checkups
Even though these are busy times for most people, there’s no excuse for missing your regular dental hygiene appointments. Although we understand that some people have personal reasons, or are anxious about coming to the dentist at all, there are some consequences for missing routine visits.
Not taking the time to come in to see us can lead to gum disease, tooth decay and other problems. Here’s a helpful tip so that you can keep your smile looking bright for years to come. We suggest you take advantage of our North York dental hygiene services once every six months and include a professional cleaning.
One more thing. When you do come in to see us always mention any changes you’ve notice with your gums or teeth.
Using the Wrong Tools
Lots of us have had something stuck between our teeth and not had our dental floss handy. However, you need to keep in mind that paperclips are made for holding paper and not cleaning your teeth. The point here is that you should only use the proper tools for your dental hygiene. Toothpicks aren’t really made to bang up against your gums and certainly pieces of paper can cause nasty cuts.
There’s an easy solution. Carry around a small container of dental floss. That way it’ll always be handy after you’ve had a meal on the go.
Using Your Teeth to Open Packages
Let’s have a show of hands now. How many who are reading this have tried to open a package of chips or cut through something using your teeth. Even if you get away with opening the package of Doritos once or twice, you might be causing micro cracks that can cause bigger problems over time.
Taking just a few extra seconds to grab a pair of scissors can make all the difference to keeping your smile bright for a lifetime.
North York dental hygiene services are ongoing. If you take the time to come in for a consultation, we can help you put together an excellent oral hygiene routine. Generally, these involve flossing and brushing. Our dental staff is always more than happy to help you by suggesting the right kind of toothbrush and the proper ways to brush and floss.
That way, you can avoid some of these bad habits that can cost you in the long run. Here’s a few more of these that you should avoid. Most of them involve rushing or trying to get something done quickly.
Chewing on Hard Objects
Chewing on pencils, biting your nails or even enjoying hard candy or ice could cause big problems for your teeth. Of course, you can splinter or crack them but there’s more to it than that. Research tells us that biting on any kind of object can introduce bacteria that can cause problems down the road.
If you stop and think about the places that pen has been and how many other people touched it before you put it in your mouth, the chances are you’ll be able to avoid the issue altogether.
Some of these bad habits that you should avoid are more obvious than others. For example, pretty much everyone knows including experts at our North York dental hygiene services that you need to avoid tobacco.
Nicotine
Nicotine makes your teeth yellow and what’s worse can even cause cancer in your mouth. All the medical evidence points toward the fact that chewing tobacco is even worse. Finally, it’s important to keep in mind that a lot of sports drinks as well as dinner wine can cause big problems. Most of these liquids contain a lot of sugar and acid that help to build bacteria and work on the enamel in your teeth.
Our North York dental hygiene services are proactive and can help you maintain a beautiful smile.Find your next dentist at Perfect Teeth today!