When I was a little kid, my parents used to teach me tons of shoulds and should nots that I have to always follow to maintain a healthy body and avoid many problems, illnesses, and diseases.

However, things do change from when we were kids, and now you can find that most of us are living a hectic life that traps us into many bad actions and habits, causing harm to our bodies, mental health, teeth, and more, all this without us even noticing that these habits are wrong or bad for us.

Our oral health and teeth play an important role in our lives, from chewing our favorite food to drawing a nice smile on our faces when feeling happy, and more, so we are obligated to take good care of our teeth.

Besides brushing, flossing, and visiting your dental clinic regularly, you need to avoid these harmful practices, so continue reading to learn about 6 of the worst habits that can kill your oral health.

1. Using Your Teeth as a Tool

   Teeth have basic functions in our lives, like consuming food, pronouncing right, and some other roles, but the sure thing is that they were not made to use them as a tool such as opening your chips bag, cutting something when you don’t have scissors near you, or holding an item when your hands are busy with something else.

   Misusing your teeth in these ways can injure your jaw, crack your teeth, cut your gums, and sometimes break your tooth, so you will have to do some cosmetic dentistry treatment like a dental crown, tooth filling, or dental bridge.

2. Biting Your Nails

   Nail-biting is a habit that is a result of stress and nervousness, and unfortunately, it is a really common habit these days and can chip, crack, or wear down your teeth, damage your jaw, and the shape of your teeth.

   If practiced for long periods, it can cause jaw dysfunction because biting your nails or sucking your fingers will push your lower jaw, and cause TMD (temporomandibular disorder), pain, and incorrect alignment of the teeth.

   Not to mention that we are constantly touching many dirty objects throughout the day, and placing fingers in the mouth will not only transmit germs causing illnesses but can also spread infection in your mouth.

3. Misusing Toothpicks

   When we eat meals that contain meat, chicken, and other kinds of foods, some of the residues will get stuck in the gaps of our teeth and between them, and you will be tempted to remove them as quickly as possible because, and yes I know, they are very annoying.

   So the answer is to use toothpicks, but not everyone knows how to use them correctly, and you might end up damaging your gums, enamel, and scratching the surface of your teeth instead.

4. Grinding and Clenching Your Teeth

   Teeth grinding and jaw clenching are a result of stress and anxiety, and this condition is called bruxism, but they are worse than nail-biting because some people do it while they are asleep, so there is no way to control this.

   These habits take a toll on our jaw, teeth, enamel, head, and you will end up not being able to chew or open your mouth properly.

   So they lead to headaches, jaw pain, tooth cracking or chipping, as well as joint pain, teeth wear, enamel loss, and muscle tenderness.

5. Brushing Too Hard

   Although brushing your teeth two times a day is an essential habit along with flossing once a day as all the dentists around the world advise, no one says that you should brush aggressively in order to get your teeth cleaned or remove plaque!

   Just keep in your mind not to try too hard, and not to use a toothbrush with hard bristles because you will end up cutting your gums, bleeding, and feeling pain, as well as eroding your enamel.

   Brush your teeth gently and kindly in a circular manner, and go for a softer bristles toothbrush to protect your teeth from damage and cuts.

6. Binge-Eating

   I know how much it is tempting to just set on your comfy couch, watch your favorite series, and enjoy some guilty pleasure foods, and although it is fine and okay to have these days once now and then, binge-eating have really bad results on your overall health, and causes teeth cavities, and poor oral health.

   In the end, these are not the only harmful habits that we do unconsciously, there are lots of other things, like inadequate hydration, chewing ice cubes, consuming tobacco, sugary foods, and beverages, drinking acidic drinks, soda, and much coffee, constant snacking, and most importantly not brushing your teeth or flossing regularly, and avoiding visiting the dentist.

   What you can do is to take care of your oral health and avoid as many bad habits as possible to maintain good health and a beautiful smile.

 The contributing writer is Managing Director at CarWise.ae – Muhamad Omari