The Tribune

By Sparkman Ferguson, DDS

Registrar of the Bahamas Dental Council

THE muscles of mastication (the muscles that we chew with) are very powerful.

If you’re not sure about that, place a finger into your mouth and bite to see how much pressure of your biting you could tolerate.

You will notice that with less than 25 per cent of your biting strength that you begin having excruciating finger pain.

Now imagine how it is when we use 100 per cent of our biting pressure to chew our foods or bite into other objects.

Habit #1 Biting ice cubes

Many persons enjoy this cooling exercise.

However, biting ice can cause minor tooth fracture to irreversible tooth fractures.

The jaws exert many pounds/square inch and when a solid ice block is between the hard enamel of two opposing teeth, tooth damage can be the result.

Habit #2 Sucking

lemon and other

citrus fruits

Lemons and other citrus fruits are loaded with fruit acids.

If one has the habit of sucking these fruits daily, over time, the acids cause erosion of the enamel of the teeth.

This erosion is detrimental to the health of teeth.

Habit #3 Opening soda/beer bottles with the teeth

There are many persons who specialise in removing soda and beer covers with their teeth. This is always a bad idea.

This practice causes huge enamel damage.

A better idea is to invest in a bottle opener.

Habit #4 Holding

objects with the teeth

People become very creative when they are busy working or multitasking.

Sometimes with so much to do, they resort to holding objects with their teeth.

Included in this list are pens, pencils, hairpins, bobby pins, screws, nails, and many other objects.

Sometimes the pressures needed to hold these items in the mouth are very great resulting in damage and breakage of tooth enamel.

Habit #5 When teeth become a tool

Some persons literally use their teeth as a working tool.

Examples of this are when teeth are used to tear into other objects like clothing, or ripping the price tags off new clothing.

This is always a bad idea, as the teeth were not made to tear into objects other than food.

Habit #6 Using

toothpicks

A toothpick ought never be used in the mouth. Dental floss is the safe and preferred way to remove food and debris from between teeth.

Many persons continue the old habit of using toothpicks to the detriment of their dental health.

These toothpicks damage both enamel and gums.

Habit #7 Teeth grinding

Grinding one’s teeth usually occurs during the sleeping hours.

This is a more forgivable habit but it still causes enamel abrasion, tooth wear, and irreversible damage to teeth.

In addition to these, it causes jaw pain, and tooth pain.

A very complex series of jaw movements and muscle firing occurs during teeth grinding that a person cannot duplicate when awake.

Dental experts have concluded that this habit is stress induced. It is advisable to have a therapeutic mouth guard to use when asleep.

By using one of these, the teeth are not in contact, and therefore cannot damage each other.

Conclusion

Whatever the dental habit, these aforementioned types lead to tooth damage requiring dental treatment and correction.

It is easy to ask people to not practice these habits but many habits are ingrained and require a conscious approach to undo.

It is hoped that smart choices and the desire to avoid unnecessary dental procedures would cause individuals to reject these damaging habits.