Bad habits that can wreck your teeth

You may not realize it, but there are many bad habits you may have that can affect your teeth in a detrimental fashion. If your bite is off, you grind your teeth or frequently bite your lips or cheek you may damage your teeth. Likewise, smoking, biting your nails, breathing through your mouth and holding objects between your teeth could cause problems.

The results of these bad habits can be chipped teeth, fractured tooth structure, tooth-wear, spacing, headaches and even neck, joint or back pain.

Grinding teeth

Some people grind their teeth out of habit or because they are angry, while others inadvertently grind their teeth during sleep. Unfortunately, both grinding and clenching can result in teeth becoming loose or moving. In addition, it can lead to jaw pain.

Biting your lips or cheeks

Sometimes people bite their lips and inner cheek as a habit without realizing what they are doing. There may be occasions when lip biting accompanies anxiety or fear, and serves as a comforting gesture. Unfortunately, these actions performed repeatedly can cause your teeth to erode faster than they would have otherwise.

Bad bite

A bad bite can cause the alignment between your jaw and skull to be off balance. This in turn puts a strain on other muscles present in your jaw, neck and back. Tight, sore muscles in the neck caused by a bad bite will result in muscles in the back compensating for the problem.

Biting nails

Biting your nails can leave you with chipped teeth, or at least teeth that wear away faster than they should.

Smoking

Smoking can result in tooth loss if you get periodontal disease because of it. Gum problems are one of the leading factors associated with smoking and dental care.

Holding objects between your teeth

If you are in the habit of using your teeth as an extra pair of hands, it is a good idea to stop before you accidentally chip your teeth or cause them to crack.

Breathing through the mouth

If you breathe through your mouth instead of your nose often, you are likely to suffer from a dry mouth. Not only may this result in a hoarse voice and sore throat, but it will mean that you do not have enough saliva in your mouth to help deal with bacterial infections and protect the enamel of your teeth.

Bad habits involving the use of your teeth can lead to an unhealthy looking smile and expensive dental work. You can save money while helping save your teeth by addressing any of the habits listed that are personally relevant.