Your smile is a precious asset that is worth protecting! Sound oral health can boost your confidence, enable you to eat a wide variety of foods, and promote your overall well-being. Unfortunately, many people have some daily habits that harming their oral health. An oral surgeon in Houston is here to discuss some of those habits and how they might affect your teeth and gums.
Eating Sugary Foods
When sugar interacts with the bacteria in your mouth, it produces harmful acid that can wear away at tooth enamel and lead to decay. While you might be good about limiting your intake of candy, cake, and ice cream, there are a lot of other foods that many people do not realize have a high sugar content. For example, flavored yogurt, ketchup, and chocolate milk all have more sugar than most people think.
Overbrushing
Any Houston oral surgeon will be quick to agree that brushing your teeth is vital for oral health. However, overbrushing can be dangerous. If you apply too much pressure, you could cause premature gum recession and damage your tooth enamel. If your toothbrushes tend to become frayed quickly or your gums are sore after you brush, there’s a good chance that you need to use a lighter touch.
Drinking Too Much Wine
There is research to suggest that compounds in wine, known as polyphenols, can actually help to fight harmful oral bacteria. However, it’s important that you don’t overindulge. Most varieties of wine contain a lot of sugar and acid, which can damage your tooth enamel — especially if you like to swirl wine around your mouth before you swallow.
Overindulging in Coffee and Tea
Just like wine, a little bit of coffee or tea can actually benefit your oral health. However, these popular beverages canalso stain your teeth. Try to limit your intake. If you sip them through a straw, you can minimize the amount of contact the liquid has with your teeth.
Using Your Teeth as a Tool
Do you use your teeth to open packages, trim your fingernails, or get the tags off of new clothes? Such activities could easily break or chip your teeth and earn you an unexpected visit to your oral surgeons in Houston. Carrying a small multi-tool with you may help you resist the temptation to use your teeth to take care of whatever task you have at hand.
Chewing Hard Objects
Tooth enamel is very hard, but it is brittle. Using your teeth to chew on ice, hard candies, or pen caps could cause them to chip, break, or suffer from premature wear and tear.
Most people are guilty of at least one of the above-listed habits. If you see room for improvement in the way you care for your smile, now is the time to act. Your teeth will thank you!
Meet Your Houston Oral Surgeons
Drs. Steve L. Koo and Tom Weil work together to provide top-quality oral surgery services to the Houston community. Their highly advanced training and gentle touch have earned them a reputation for excellence. If you would like to learn more about them and how they can help you protect your smile, contact our team at 713-783-5560.