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Our teeth our tougher than a wolverine running about in the U.P. Problem is, they are so tough that we tend to take them for granted. We do all sorts of bad things to our teeth believing that they’ll forever keep chomping away on our behalf. But some of the things we do can do real, permanent harm to your teeth. Here’s a list of bad habits that need to go away for the sake of your teeth.

Eight things you’re doing to your teeth

Grinding your teeth — Life has its share of stresses. For many people, those stresses are internalized and come out when we’re asleep and we grind our teeth. This is called bruxism. Everyone knows grinding your teeth is bad: it literally grinds your teeth down. Most people who grind don’t realize they do it, unless they awake with very sore jaws. But Dr. Egger can see the signs and get you into a mouthguard to wear at night.
Chewing ice — Ice may be no-cal, but that doesn’t mean it’s good for you. Lots of people, particularly men, chew ice. Chewing it can chip or crack your teeth. It also irritates the soft tissue inside the tooth, causing toothaches.

Fruit juice — Fruit juice has to be good for you, right? Well, if it were only fruit juice that would be much better than the sugar-added drinks that masquerade as fruit juice. Fruit juice “cocktails,” for instance, usually are made with only 10% of the drink being actual fruit juice. Look for fruit juices that are 100% juice. Otherwise, there is often as much sugar in it as in soda. Plus, in certain juices the acidity is pretty high.

Bottle in the crib — Putting a bottle in your baby’s crib to help him or her fall asleep is a bad idea. He or she may fall asleep with the bottle in their mouth, bathing the teeth in sugars overnight.

Sodas — Everyone knows sodas are no bueno, and in a dental sense it’s not necessarily because of the sugar. Yes, the sugars can lead to dental decay, but they also contain phosphoric and citric acids. These are corrosives that eat away at the enamel protecting your teeth.

Your teeth, the opener — Everyone knows a guy who revels in opening bottles with his teeth. Leave that to him; you can chip or crack your teeth very easily.

Constant snacking — When you eat a regular meal, your mouth produces more saliva and that helps eliminate and break down residual particles. But when you snack for brief periods, you don’t produce saliva in the same way. The lack of saliva when you eat a snack means that food bits can stay in your teeth for hours. If you need a snack, opt for something low in sugar and starch, like carrots.

Cigarette smoking — Cigarettes stain your teeth and lead to gum disease. As if that weren’t enough, tobacco also leads to cancer of the mouth, lips, and tongue.

Have you been doing most of the above, and now it’s time for Dr. Egger to rectify the damage? Call us at 989-773-3560 and let’s take a look.