5 Ways You’re Harming Your Teeth

Even if you brush and floss everyday, there are still many things that cause damage to your smile. At my dental office in Rochester, we’re all about keeping teeth healthy and being dedicated to educating our patients on all the ways to keep their mouths in tip-top shape, as well as things that can be harmful.

1. Ice, Ice, Baby

Ice is a great way to cool a drink or nurse an injury back to health, but it’s not so helpful to your smile. They’re hard, really hard, and if crunched can cause chips. Once there are chips, bacteria can settle into these little nooks and cause decay. If not fixed, chips can turn into severe cracks and even cause pieces of teeth to fall off.

2. Side to Side

While we always encourage our patients to brush twice a day and floss once a day, we want to make sure they all know the proper way to brush. It’s best to use small, gentle circles to ensure you’re treating your enamel with the best of care. If a back and forth, side to side technique is used, it can be harsh on enamel and cause scratches.

3. Run!

Running and other forms of cardiovascular exercise are great for a healthy heart and healthy body. But recent research also shows a link between endurance cardio workouts and tooth decay. One explanation to this is during intense cardio, saliva production is greatly decreased. Saliva naturally washes away dangerous acid and bacteria that can lead to decay. Try chewing sugar-free gum during workouts.

4. Feel the Burn

Heartburn that is. Acid reflux is never enjoyable, but it can cause serious damage to your teeth. Acid from the stomach can creep up into the mouth and act just like acid from soda or sugar-loaded sports drinks. However, stomach acid tends to be more potent and can more easily dissolve enamel.

5. Lemonade

Lemonade is packed full of acid as well as sugar, a lethal combination for tooth health. Bacteria found in the mouth feeds on the sugar while the acid eats away at tooth enamel, making your teeth a prime spot for decay to flourish. Choose water instead.

Avoiding these damaging foods and activities, or at least counteracting those that are good for you with something good for your smile, can do wonders for the health of your mouth. And as always, keeping up with regular appointments at my Rochester dental office is the best prevention.
Serving patients from Rochester, Brighton, and Pittsford.

About The Author

Dr. William Hurtt

Dr. William Hurtt is a highly respected dentist with over 20 years of dedicated service in the field of dentistry. With a passion for delivering exceptional patient care, Dr. Hurtt combines his extensive knowledge with the latest advancements in dental technology. He earned his Doctor of Medicine in Dentisry degree from Temple University School of Dentistry and has since been committed to continuing education to stay at the forefront of dental innovations.

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