Bad oral habits: which ones are you guilty of?

Lip biting: Lips become dry and crack, teeth become crowded and wear away.

Nail biting: Teeth become crowded and wear away.

Thumb Sucking: Upper teeth flare out, lower teeth and lip turn inwards. Calling for an orthodontic treatment in future.

Occupational habits( ie holding bobby pins, nails, screws, thread between teeth): Teeth get indented and loss of tooth structure.

Sipping carbonated beverages (soft drinks): Causes dissolution of tooth structure and sugars allow cavities to form rapidly.

Biting on Ice: Ice causes teeth to become brittle and dehydrate, eventually leading to cracking and tooth fractures.

Using sweetened pacifier for long hours/frequent intake of candies, sugars, etc: Continuous supply of sugars leads to low pH (acidic environment) in the mouth leading to dental decay.

Jaw clenching/ Grinding/ Bruxism: Leads to severe tooth loss on all or some opposing teeth (attrition). In addition, severe jaw muscle pain and soreness.

Cheek Biting: Leads to cheek ulceration and in severe cases a growth which can predispose to precancerous lesions.

Brushing with hard bristles: Leads to hypersensitivity in teeth and loss of tooth structure near the roots (abrasion).

Brushing with immense pressure in a horizontal direction: Leads to hypersensitivity in teeth and loss of tooth structure near the roots (abrasion).

Swallowing toothpaste esp. Fluoridated Toothpastes:  If swallowed it can lead to higher than required levels of Fluorine in bones and teeth leading to pathologies.

Neglecting Bad odor: Bad breath could be due to a lot of causes: liver disease, lung disease, smoking, uncontrolled diabetes etc.

Tobacco chewing: Is a major cause of many life threatening oral cancers.

Cigarette smoking: One of the biggest factors predisposing to cancers.

Misusing tooth picks/ pencil or pen chewing: Loss of tooth structure, spacing in teeth, gums recede.

Placing pain killers/medicines in mouth for long periods: Analgesics are acidic, placement without swallowing can provide pain relief but can lead to chemical burns and painful ulcers in the mouth.

Neglecting growths/ ulcers/ bleeding in mouth

Culled from HumanHealthProject