While we might think that our teeth are indestructible unless we fail to take care of them, that would be wrong! Even people who brush, floss, eat right, and take care of their teeth can have a lot of trouble with various common habits that can cause damage to your teeth. You might even be doing some of them right now and not even know about the damage it is causing you.

Here are some surprisingly common habits that can and will ruin your teeth if you let them go unchecked!

Chewing Ice

While biting down on ice might seem like a good idea to swallow it easier or to help your mouth cool off, you shouldn’t be biting and chewing on something that hard. Chewing on ice is something that puts a lot of pressure on your teeth and mouth, and you don’t want to be doing the habit often because it will grind down on your teeth.

Interestingly, both ice and tooth enamel are crystals, and when two crystals press against one another, one will always end up breaking. Most of the time you break the ice, but sometimes a tooth is going to crack instead.

Using Teeth Like A Tool

Biting open bags, opening bottles, clamping something in our mouths while we struggle to free our hands, or any other way that we use our teeth as tools can damage them. While our teeth might seem strong and tough they really aren’t. So you need to make sure that you are taking care of your teeth by only using them to eat food.

While it might seem intuitive to use your teeth like a tool, you shouldn’t. After all, half the time they won’t be as effective as a real tool or even as your hand!

Eating Gummy Candies

While sugar is very damaging to your teeth and gums, you should be especially aware of gummy candies and other sticky food items. These might taste good, but they can remain on your teeth for hours and get into spots that are hard to clean. If you don’t clean these spots out, they can very easily create cavities and cause other problems for your mouth health.

Additionally, you want to avoid sucking on things like cough drops and other sugary items, because that can increase the chances that cavities form in your mouth.

Break These Bad Habits and Heal Your Teeth!

Good oral hygiene isn’t just about brushing, flossing, and seeing your dentist in Colorado, but also ensuring that you are avoiding bad habits. That way you can focus on keeping your smile and your oral health nice and perfect each time you show it off!