United Smiles patients are among the smartest patients in Australia, and know a thing or two about maintaining their dental health.
Still, even the smartest patient is not necessarily aware of everything that might damage their dental health, and some damaging behaviours can even appear good for you. Did you know that both oral piercings and exercise can damage your teeth?
With the dental health of our patients and readers in mind, United Smiles would like to introduce a couple of behaviours that you might be unaware can damage your health.
1) Tooth protection. Did you watch the big fight? Australian boxer Jeff Horn took the WBO Welterweight title in a bruising match (Congratulations from United Smiles!). But no matter how many blows were traded, at the end, Horn still had the big smile of a winner. Why could he smile? Because he had protected his mouth with a mouth-guard.
Child or adult, if you engage in any kind of contact sport, you need to visit United Smiles to get a properly fitted mouthguard. Take good care of your physical health while also protecting your dental health!
2) Cardiovascular exercise. Did you ever think that exercise could be bad for your teeth? It sounds unlikely, but in fact it can be true in some circumstances. Exercising, particularly cardio, reduces saliva levels. Saliva helps keep the balance in the mouth and prevents bacteria from growing rapidly.
Saliva also contains essential nutrients and minerals that supplement your teeth. The best solution to keep saliva flowing is by chewing sugar-free gum while working out and brushing your teeth before exercising.
3) Weightlifting/exertion and teeth. If you clench your teeth while you work out, as many people do, the stress is transmitted through the teeth and the ligaments that hold them in place to the jaw, neck and upper back muscles.
Body builders place hundreds of pounds of compressed force on their teeth when they clench them while lifting weights. Clenching can cause damage to the teeth, pain in the jaw and sometimes headaches and muscle spasms. This is another situation that calls for a mouth-guard.
4) The “threat” of brushing after a meal. What’s worse than eating acidic foods? Brushing immediately afterwards. While the enamel is porous, brushing can wear it away easily and make it thinner, reducing the natural protection of the dentin. Instead of brushing after a meal, drink water first and then wait at least 30 minutes after eating for your tooth enamel to remineralise before brushing. Make this wait a habit particularly after eating acidic foods.
5) The “threat” of rinsing. You’ve cleaned your teeth and now it’s time to rinse out your mouth. Don’t do it! When you rinse after brushing you’re washing off the fluoride from the toothpaste left on your teeth and spitting out the excess.
If you don’t rinse you’re giving yourself a mini fluoride treatment every day, which helps your teeth stay strong and healthy
6) The “threat” of overbrushing. When you brush your teeth, you never want to scrub as hard as possible; provides all the abrasion you need. The Wall Street Journal estimates that up to 20% of Americans have damaged their teeth or gums by over-brushing.
Your goal is to remove plaque as gently as possible to protect your teeth and gums as you get them sparkling clean. That’s why soft toothbrushes are the safer and healthier option. A hard bristle brush can damage your teeth. A soft brush is best.
7) Using your teeth as tools. An important way to protect our teeth is to try to avoid falling into the following bad habits:
United Smiles is conveniently located in the heart of Mernda Village, serving patients from all Melbourne areas. Our office has ample parking at the rear of the building. Wheelchair access is also available at the front of the building.
Call us today on (03) 8682 8658 or book an appointment online TODAY!