Why You Shouldn’t Use Your Teeth as Tools

Our oral health can have a significant impact on our overall health so protecting our teeth and gums should be an important part of a healthy living plan. One way many people unintentionally damage their teeth is by using them inappropriately as a kind of Swiss army knife.

The tooth contains three layers. The center of the tooth contains blood vessels and nerves and is known as the pulp. The middle layer is known as dentin and the outer layer is called the enamel. If each layer is affected by outside forces, the more severe (and more expensive) the damage.

While your teeth are great at breaking down food, using them to open a bottle, the wrapper on anything (candy bar, bag of chips, etc.), or really anything that needs opening is not a wise choice. That plastic packaging around your new headphones is meant to be opened with scissors, not your teeth. When you use your teeth to open things you run the risk of chipping or cracking them, and you also might wear down your teeth unevenly and develop poor jaw alignment.

Just like you would warn your children not to chew on foreign objects, it’s not a great decision to do it as an adult. Yet, we all find ourselves mindlessly chewing on pens and pencils, plastic straws, toothpicks or even worse, our fingernails. We don’t think about it as we do it, but this is a bad habit that can cause our teeth to weaken and lose their structure.

Another bad dental habit many people fall into is using their teeth to crack open nuts. That’s why the nutcracker was invented! Each time you use your teeth to open a walnut, pistachio, or peanut, the shell grinds down some of the enamel on your teeth. This can cause your teeth to wear in uneven areas which can lead to cracking and chipping as well.

Our teeth serve many functions and keeping them healthy is key to our overall health. If you have some of the unhealthy habits mentioned above or if you haven’t been to a dentist in a while, it might be time to make an appointment to avoid more expensive damage later.

Keeping Your Teeth Healthy

Make sure you do the following to avoid the harmful effects of tooth decay.
• Brush and floss your teeth regularly and see your dentist every six months for cleanings and checkups.
• Avoid foods high in sugar and other carbohydrates which will feed on the bacteria in your mouth.
• Make sure you get enough fluoride which helps to prevent decay by making teeth more resistant to the acids that produce plaque. Fluoride is added to most public water.
• Avoid dry mouth which can be caused by some medications or by simply breathing through your mouth. Make sure you have enough saliva to help wash the food and harmful sugars from your mouth which helps to protect your teeth.
• Avoid smoking or using other tobacco products.

Emergency Dentist in Downtown Los Angeles

If you suffer from tooth pain or any other dental issue, contact our professionals at Samaritan Dental Arts. We are open on Saturdays and offer evening appointments. You can also fill out the necessary forms, meet the team of professionals and view a complete list of services. We offer flexible payment options and a caring staff ready to help ease your fears.
Don’t take your dental health for granted and don’t ignore the toothache. It might seem like a minor inconvenience now, but if left untreated, you could develop a serious infection that could impact your overall health. If you’ve neglected your oral health and haven’t seen a dentist in years, don’t wait another day. Make your appointment with the leading emergency dentist in Downtown Los Angeles today, Samaritan Dental Arts today.