Good & Bad Habits for Dental Health

Taking care of you and your dental health is our top priority at Access Dental and Dentures. That is also one of the reasons we have the best dental clinics in Southern Missouri. Today we are talking about some common habits that people may have as a part of their daily routine. Some are bad habits that can damage teeth and should be avoided, while others are great habits to help keep you and your mouth as healthy as possible. Keep reading to learn more and see how many good or bad habits you may have!

DON'T Use Teeth as a Tool

Sometimes it can feel like we don't have enough hand to get a task done. Or maybe our grip isn't strong enough to open a container. Whatever the situation, it is never a good idea to use your teeth as a tool. Ripping open a package, biting down on a soda bottle cap, holding something in your mouth while you get your keys... These are all common bad habits that could ruin your teeth or make you sick. Not only can these actions put unnecessary strain on your teeth and gums, but it could cause your teeth to get chipped or cracked. Additionally, foreign objects don't belong in your mouth where they could be spreading germs to the rest of your body. For those reasons, it's important to use your mouth and your teeth for their intended purposes rather than as a multi-tool.

DON'T Chew Ice

Some people have the bad habit of chewing ice when they enjoy a cold beverage. However, this can be very bad for your teeth. Even crushed ice is very hard on your teeth as they try to pulverize the frozen pieces. This can quickly wear down your enamel and even cause chips in your teeth. If you are craving the habit of chewing without calories that come with crackers or chips, try chewing on gum during the day to get it out of your system. It may also be a good idea to avoid using crushed ice in your drinks for a time so it's not as tempting.

DON'T Drink Sugary Beverages

While they might taste great, sugary drinks wreak havoc on your teeth. The sugar sticks to the surface of your teeth and feeds any bacteria present in your mouth. This allows bacteria to thrive and grow, particularly between your teeth where it's harder to remove. Prolonged sugar exposure and bacteria buildup can lead to tooth decay and cavities. It's better to enjoy drinks like water, perhaps with fresh fruit and herbs infused into it for flavor. If you can't stay away and do consume sugary beverages, make sure to rinse your mouth with water afterward to wash away as much of the sugar as possible.

DO Brush & Floss Daily

Access Dental and Dentures recommends that you brush your teeth at least twice a day and floss at least once per day. Brushing and flossing before bed is very important for your dental health, as it removes any food particles or bacteria buildup from the day. Brushing in the morning is also important as it helps break up and remove plaque that started building up on your teeth overnight due to a reduced amount of saliva washing harmful materials away.

DO Use Mouthwash

While it can't replace daily brushing and flossing, using mouthwash can help boost your dental health by destroying bacteria in hard-to-reach places. A good mouthwash can help give you a more all-encompassing clean that leaves you feeling fresh for longer.

DO Replace Your Toothbrush

Toothbrushes are not meant to be something that you use for very long. Over time, the bristles will start to wear down and bacteria may even build up at the base of bristles from what it has captured while cleaning your teeth. Keep your toothbrush clean while using it - keep it as far away from the toilet (airborne particles) as possible, don't keep it in a cover with no air flow, and regularly clean it with scalding water. This can help keep your toothbrush clean and healthy for the duration of its life. Once your toothbrush is three months old or starts to fade and wear (whichever comes first), then it is time to replace it.

Visit the Best Missouri Dentist

Following these important do's and do not's will help keep your teeth and mouth clean and healthy. However, there are some things that you can't check on yourself. That's where Access Dental comes in! Regular dentist visits are important to make sure no cavities have developed, your teeth are coming in normally, your gums are in good condition, and so much more. Contact the best dentist in the Springfield area to schedule your regular checkups and get on the path to a healthier, happier mouth.

We want to be your dentist because your family deserves a great smile! 

1-877-DENTIST

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How These Drink Favorites Could be Harmful to Teeth

Drinking soda, enjoying a juice or coffee in the morning, and sipping a glass of wine with dinner are all habits that can be quite common in our culture. While most people know that soda and alcohol aren't particularly good influences on health, they may not realize how many drink favorites could actually be harming their teeth. At Access Dental and Dentures, we care about your health and want to help keep your pearly whites in good condition. Read on to learn more about the common drinks that could be damaging your teeth, and come visit the best Springfield area dentists for your fall check-up!

Soda

Carbonated drinks already have a pretty bad reputation when it comes to health. Because of their acidic and sugary nature, sodas can be incredibly harmful to your teeth. The acidity in soda can actually be the bigger issue. Both diet and regular sodas can do the same amount of damage to the enamel protecting your teeth. For that reason, it is best to avoid drinking soda.

Juice

Some individuals believe that juice has a lot of health benefits. Some "old wives' tales" say that cranberry juice helps with infections, or that orange juice can help stave off a virus. While the vitamins and minerals may be helpful in some respects, the concentrated acidity and sugar content are not doing your teeth any favors. Because fruit juices are concentrated, they are much more acidic than eating a piece of fruit on its own.

Tea and Coffee

While tea and coffee are both somewhat acidic, they aren't particularly detrimental on their own. Green tea can actually be beneficial for your gums, and black coffee may help prevent cavities. The problem with coffee and tea comes in when you add sugar and creamer. Sweet iced tea has a high sugar content that can be very damaging to the enamel on your teeth. Sugary creamers and artificial flavorings in coffee can also be harmful to the health of your teeth.

Alcohol

Alcoholic beverages can dry out your mouth and cause a lack of sufficient saliva. Saliva is helpful and important in washing away bacteria and preventing tooth decay. If your mouth is too dry, saliva cannot properly do its job. Contrary to popular belief, white wine may actually be worse for your teeth than red wine. While red wine can cause surface stains, white wine is more acidic than red and can cause permanent enamel damage.

Sparkling Water

This being on the list may surprise people! Sparkling water is actually quite acidic and erosive, which could be very bad for your teeth. In fact, the level of acidity in sparkling water matches and sometimes exceeds the acidity in orange juice.

How to Help Minimize Damage

If you do choose to keep these popular drinks as part of your diet, there are a few ways you can try to help limit the damage they do to your teeth.

1. Use a Straw - Drinking through a straw can help minimize the amount of contact the drink has with your teeth, and thereby help reduce potential damage.
2. Don't Sip - If you're drinking something acidic, don't sip on it throughout the day. This lengthens the amount of time your teeth are exposed to harmful materials. 
3. Wait, then Brush - After you have one of these acidic drinks, wait about 30 minutes and then brush your teeth. Brushing immediately could scrub the acidic substances into your teeth, furthering the damage.   
4. Diluting the Drink - For some of these drinks, it could be helpful to dilute them with 50% water. This will reduce the amount of acid and sugar that come in contact with your teeth.  
5. Visit Your Dentist - Regular visits to the dentist's office for checkups can help keep your enamel strong and catch any issues before they get too serious. 

Access Dental is the best Springfield area dentist, and we care about your oral health. We would love to help you take care of your teeth! Call 1-877-DENTIST today to schedule your appointment. 

We want to be your dentist because your family deserves a great smile! 

1-877-DENTIST

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Bad Habits to Break That Are Harming Your Teeth

Bad habits are hard to break, but when they are affecting your health, it's well worth the effort to put a stop to them. Today Access Dental & Dentures is focusing on the bad habits that can be harmful to your teeth. If you find yourself doing any of the following, you may want to schedule an appointment at one of our dentist offices in Southern Missouri to see if any damage has already been done. 

Using Teeth as a Tool
Teeth are made for eating, not to be used as a tool for opening things. Whether you're ripping open a package or bending something, your teeth should never be used. A tooth breaking or chipping is often a side effect of using your teeth for an unintended purpose. To avoid this bad habit, make it a point to not use your teeth as a tool and take the time to find the proper item to accomplish your task.

Chewing Ice

Extremely hard edible items can cause damage to your teeth, ice included. It can put excessive pressure on the surface and end up chipping the tooth or fillings you may have. To break this habit, consider drinking chilled drinks without ice or use a straw when drinking from a glass with ice in it.

Teeth Grinding

Many people will grind their teeth as a nervous habit or while they sleep. If you do this. it can cause surface damage to your teeth. Chipping or cracking of the tooth's surface is another side effect of teeth grinding. Try to pinpoint the reasons you may be tensing your jaw like this. You might consider having the experts at Access Dental & Dentures create a custom-made mouthguard to keep your teeth safe until you can figure out how to stop grinding them. 

Drinking Sugary Drinks

Soda and other sugar-filled drinks can cause unnecessary damage to a tooth's surface. Bacteria thrives when sugar is found in the mouth. This can lead to the decay of your tooth's protective layer, enamel. Cavities come along after the enamel covering it has been damaged and this can cause tooth decay and other oral issues. Limit your intake of sugar-filled drinks and look for a refreshing alternative to replace them with. Water is an excellent choice. 

Biting Your Nails
Biting nails is an easy way to invite bacteria into your mouth. Aside from unnecessary amounts of bacteria, biting your nails can also damage your teeth. Chipping teeth and negative impacts on your jaw muscles and bones are caused by this bad habit and it's not very good for your fingers and nails either. To avoid further tooth damage, work to find a way to relieve the urge to bite your nails. Wearing gloves might help and some people choose to put something that tastes bad on the ends of their fingertips to discourage this bad habit. 

If you happen to have any of these bad habits and would like some help breaking them to improve your oral health, let our trusted dentists in Southern Missouri help you out. Stopping this behavior is good for more than just your teeth and once you tackle the problem, it will do wonders for your smile! 

We want to be your dentist because your family deserves a great smile! 

1-877-DENTIST

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Bad Habits to Break for Healthier Teeth

While we focus on good oral care habits most of the time, it's also important to know the damaging effects bad habits can have on your teeth. If you are looking for ways to improve the overall health of your teeth, this is a great blog for you to read! You may know some of these habits can cause damage to your teeth, but others may be news to you. As your trusted dentist near Springfield, MO, we've dedicated this week's blog to focus on bad habits you should work on breaking right away.

Nail Biting

Biting nails is an easy way to invite bacteria into your mouth. Aside from unnecessary amounts of bacteria, biting your nails can also damage your tooth. Chipping teeth and negative impacts on your jaw muscles and bones are caused by this bad habit. To avoid further tooth damage, work to find a way to relieve the urge to bite your nails.

Chewing Ice

Any hard substance chewed between your teeth can cause damage, ice included. It can put pressure and end up chipping the tooth surface or fillings you may have. To avoid this habit, consider drinking chilled drinks without ice or use a straw when drinking a glass filled with ice.

Consuming Sugary Drinks

Soda and other sugar-filled drinks can cause unnecessary damage to your tooth's surface. Bacteria thrives when sugar is found in the mouth. This can lead to the decay of your tooth's protective layer, enamel. Cavities come along after the enamel covering has been damaged and this can cause tooth decay and other oral issues. Swap out your sugar-filled drinks for a refreshing glass of water.

Grinding Teeth

Many people will grind their teeth as a nervous habit or while they sleep. If you do this. it's can cause surface damage to your teeth. Chipping or cracking of your tooth surface is another side effect of teeth grinding. Try to relax in other ways to avoid tooth grinding.

Use Teeth as a Tool

Teeth are made for eating, not a tool. Avoid opening items with your teeth. Whether you're ripping open a package or bending something, your teeth are not to be used. A tooth breaking or chipping is often a side effect of using your teeth for an unintended purpose. To avoid this bad habit, make it a point to not use your teeth as a tool and take the time to find the proper item to accomplish your task.

Now that you know more about these habits that are bad for your teeth, you can work to improve your oral health. While we've talked about bad habits above, it's important to replace these kinds of habits with ones that are good for your mouth. Strive to brush your teeth twice every day and floss once a day. It can also be helpful to drink plenty of water and stay hydrated. Eating a well-balanced diet is another way to improve your oral health. Lastly, a regular dental check up is important to regulate your mouth. Give Access Dental and Dentures a call today to schedule your next appointment!

We want to be your dentist because your family deserves a great smile!

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