With some wary prevention, your teeth can last for years on end. And that doesn’t mean brushing your pearly whites, either. For greatest dental health, you need to be cognizant of what hazards can impact your dental health and how you can thwart them. Here are some things you can be aware of to save your pearly whites safe from injury:
Clenching or grinding teeth. Did you know that you could be clenching your chompers while you sleep? It’s a condition called bruxism, and if you’re waking up with sore teeth and/or a sore jaw, you could have it. Speak with us about night guards on your next appointment, and we can help you fix this problem that negatively impacts your sleep and your chompers.
Not sifting out bones from food. While chowing away on tough foods is one thing, sorting out bones (and rocks) from food is another. If you clamp your teeth down into something thinking that it’s soft when it’s not, you’re much more prone to break a tooth. Take some moments to sift through your food to ensure there are no hard surprises waiting within.
Chewing gum for too long. Can chewing gum for too long really damage your teeth? Actually, it’s possible, and we’ve seen it happen enough to know that it’s a real risk. As gum is chewed for long durations of time, it begins to lose its elasticity — you’ve most likely noticed that gum chewed for an hour is much harder than a fresh stick. Don’t risk your oral health by continuing to chew on gum that you’ve chewed for an hour or more; spit it out and use a second piece if you need to continue chewing.
Prevention is the greatest medicine, but accidents do happen. If you’ve suffered an injury to your oral cavity or pearly whites, we’re here to help. Call our Katy, Texas, teeth office at 281-829-5000 now to set up your next visit with Dr. Sula Umansky and our team.