An apple a day won’t keep the dentist away.
If you accidentally chip or crack a tooth, you’re exposing it to tooth decay quicker.
Tooth fractures can quickly lead to decay. Bacteria can use these crevices in the teeth to find their way to your teeth’s more sensitive parts, which are often places where your toothbrush can’t reach.
Those most at risk of chipping their teeth are young children, contact sports players, those with lip or tongue piercings, and those in military training.
Drinks high in acidity can make your teeth weak.
The outer shell of your teeth is coated in enamel, which is made of minerals. Enamel is the hardest substance in the human body but, unfortunately, it is most prone to decay. Acidic drinks, such as fruit juices and fizzy drinks, can break down this enamel, making your teeth vulnerable to tooth decay.
Unless you go about your life with Coke in your mouth for an entire day (or five), you're not going to see the dramatic decay pictured above. But one study exposed 20 test teeth to different drinks, including Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Dr. Pepper, their diet versions, and other soft drinks. Results found that tap water and black coffee barely dissolved tooth enamel, while the cola drinks "dissolved enamel 55-65 times more than both water and root beer".
The study also found that there was also no difference in amount of tooth erosion between regular and diet drinks. Even though diet drinks lack sugar, they're equally bad for your teeth.
So put down that fifth can of Coke if you want to protect your gnashers.
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If you grind your teeth in your sleep, they are more likely to decay.
Grinding your teeth at night is a common sign of stress or worry, and nightmares of your teeth falling out could quickly become truth. Clenching your jaw and teeth-grinding creates a large amount of pressure on your teeth. If done frequently, your teeth will be more likely to crack and fracture, increasing the chance of tooth decay, and missing teeth.
In a computer simulation of the human jaw clenching, researchers found that both the upper and lower jaw became IRREVERSIBLY deformed with repeated clenches.
If you're fretting about your fangs, you may want to consider wearing a mouth guard at night while you sleep.
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And if bacteria does find a way in, it's not just your teeth that are affected.
Infection in the teeth and gums can lead to an dental abscess, which is where pus collects because of a bacterial infection. This is usually felt with a sore throbbing pain where the abscess is. The common cause of an abscess is a combo of eating sugary foods and bad dental routines.
To get this treated, a dentist must drain the pus and, in some cases, remove the infected tooth. 😧
BRUSH YOUR TEETH, PEOPLE.