Oral habits to avoid

When it comes to the mouth, a place where most things into the body pass, cleanliness is highly recommended. When you clean your mouth and maintain this cleanliness as discussed in previous articles, you have no cavities to worry about.

In addition to this, there are things we do either knowingly or unknowingly. These things have been done over a long period of time that they have now become habits. These include: 

Toothpick use: These wooden sticks with pointed ends are highly discouraged. They might seem cheap and convenient to use but they cause a lot of damage. For example, during use, you can pierce the gum and it starts to bleed, causing pain. In some cases, the wound in the mouth takes long to heal, can become infected or turn into an ulcer. The toothpick also widens the spaces between two teeth in the long run. When this happens, more food is trapped with an increased likelihood of gum disease. It is, therefore, better to floss instead.

Biting one’s nails: A lot of wear is caused to the teeth as a result of this. When teeth grinding happens, eventually your teeth become sensitive or loose and as a result, intervention which is not cheap is required. Dentists instead encourage using a nail cutter.

Opening bottles with your teeth: In the process of opening a bottle, you can split or crack your tooth into two and will most probably lose it. Instead, one should use a bottle opener. 

Procrastinating about visiting the dentist: Although many people have a general fear of going to see a dentist, taking long without these checkups will lead to problems that will require extreme measures to treat. It is better when the problems are caught early.

Dr John Paul Okim, Dental surgeon, implantologist