{"id":151,"date":"2020-05-27T16:45:24","date_gmt":"2020-05-27T16:45:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/?p=151"},"modified":"2020-05-28T04:49:19","modified_gmt":"2020-05-28T04:49:19","slug":"bad-dental-habits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/2020\/05\/27\/bad-dental-habits\/","title":{"rendered":"Keep Your Teeth Healthy By Avoiding These 4 Bad Habits"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Woman<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

For many people, routines are a way to find comfort and security in their lives. When they\u2019re disrupted, life can feel much more stressful. Many Americans are feeling this way right now due to COVID-19. Unable to take part in regular activities like going to the movies or shopping, they\u2019re turning to new behaviors to help cope with the challenges they\u2019re currently facing. However, some actions can have a detrimental effect on oral health and put people at risk of having severe dental emergencies if they\u2019re not careful. What are some of these bad habits? Read on to find out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

1. Biting On Hard Items<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Gnawing on items like pen caps, ice, or your fingernails\nduring the day can make you feel better, but it places unnecessary stress on\nyour teeth. Over time, small fractures can form on their outer layers and\neventually cause them to crack open entirely. If you need to chew on something\nto relieve stress, try using sugar free gum instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Poor Hygiene Routines<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At the end of a long day, you may just want to eat dinner\nand go to bed. However, not brushing and flossing your teeth after meals will\nleave food particles trapped between them. Bacteria in your mouth will then\nbreak them down and cause tooth decay. Brush and floss your teeth after every\nmeal to prevent this from happening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alternatively, some people brush very hard in response to\nstress. As a result, they wear down their enamel and damage their gum tissue. Gentle\nbrush strokes with a soft bristled toothbrush are enough to remove plaque and\nbacteria from the surfaces of your teeth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Eating Sugary Snacks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A quick snack can help you relax when you\u2019re feeling\noverwhelmed. However, some snacks do more damage to your teeth than others.\nFoods that are high in sugars or that are sticky make it easy for bacteria to\nweaken your teeth. Some examples include gummy candies, crackers, dried fruits,\nand sodas. If you want to eat these foods, try doing so with your regular meals\ninstead of during the day so they can\u2019t do as much damage. Alternatively, you\ncan replace them with healthier snacks like fresh vegetables and unsweetened\ndairy products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Grinding And Clenching<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some people grind and clench their teeth in response to\nstress. While these actions can feel good, they can absolutely wreck your jaw\nmuscles and teeth. If you\u2019re doing it during the day, you need to take steps to\nmake your life less stressful. Meditating and organizing things you need to do by\npriority can help you feel more in control of difficult situations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also people who grind their teeth while they\nsleep. This condition can be harder to treat on your own. You\u2019ll need to speak\nwith your dentist at your next regular\ncheckup<\/a> about getting an oral appliance made to protect your teeth from\ndamage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

COVID-19 is requiring everyone to adapt to new lifestyles.\nThe last thing you need while trying to handle these changes is dental pain. By\navoiding bad dental habits, you\u2019ll be able to protect yourself from the stress\nthat an unexpected dental emergency brings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Author<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Ukti Phadnis is a dentist at Wethersfield Dental Group. In\naddition to regular preventive care treatments, she also provides restorative\nand cosmetic services. Her goal is to give patients smiles that are both\nhealthy and beautiful. If you would like to know more about how she can help\nyou, you can contact her through her website<\/a> or\nat 860-400-3007. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For many people, routines are a way to find comfort and security in their lives. When they\u2019re disrupted, life can feel much more stressful. Many Americans are feeling this way right now due to COVID-19. Unable to take part in regular activities like going to the movies or shopping, they\u2019re turning to new behaviors to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":154,"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151\/revisions\/154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wethersfielddentalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}