5 Possibly Harmful Daily Habits From Our Santa Monica Dentist

Written by Dr. Follette on Jul 21, 2020

Our Santa Monica dentists are here to help you make choices that improve your oral health. So, in today’s article, we are going to be giving you some tips on ways that you can optimize your daily routine and maintain dental health.

Sipping or Snacking All Day

One way to improve your dental health, as well as the way your smile feels, is to minimize the amount of time that oral bacteria are able to be active and feeding on sugars in your mouth. In order to this, you have to refrain from drinking beverages other than water and eating sugars and refined carbohydrates all day long. Make a point to indulge in these things in specific sittings.

Chomping on Harmful Treats

In order to protect your dental enamel from inadvertent damage, try not to chew on hard candies, mints, and ice. All of these things are too hard for your dental enamel to break down safely. If you do chew hard substances regularly you will likely develop small cracks and chips on the surfaces of your teeth.

Brushing at the Wrong Time

Whenever you drink or eat something acidic, your dental enamel becomes temporarily softer, and thus more vulnerable to damage. That is why we encourage you to wait to brush your teeth until twenty to thirty minutes after acid exposure. This gives your dental enamel enough time to re-mineralize and go back to normal.

Using Pointy and Abrasive Tools

When dental debris and food particles get stuck in your smile, try reaching for floss rather than metal or wooden toothpicks. Toothpicks can harm your oral tissues and irritate sensitive nerves. Floss is both effective and gentle, so it is a better choice when you need to refresh your smile quickly.  

If you have any questions about the information that we have covered in this article, please feel free to reach out to our Santa Monica dentists. We look forward to speaking with you and helping you achieve your dental goals.