If you think brushing your teeth is enough to maintain good oral health, you are wrong. You might unknowingly affect your dental health with many poor habits. Those habits often lead to tooth decay, tooth loss, bad breath, and other oral issues. You need to understand these harmful habits to ditch them before they trouble your dental health for a lifetime. They include:

Using a Hard Toothbrush

You may brush every day, but your toothbrush could affect your dental health. A toothbrush with hard bristles can damage the tooth enamel, which triggers tooth decay. You should use a soft bristle brush and brush your teeth in a circular motion. It is also advisable to change your toothbrush routinely.

Skipping Flossing

Flossing is as important as brushing your teeth. After brushing, use a floss top to get rid of the impurities stuck between the small gaps. Flossing at least twice a day is enough to maintain good dental hygiene.

Drinking Too Many Carbonated Drinks

It is okay to consume soda and other carbonated drinks, but drinking them too much is harmful to your teeth. The drinks directly harm the enamel and eventually lead to erosion. The drinks also have high sugar levels that increase the risk of cavities.

Smoking

Smoking not only affects your lungs. It also negatively affects other body parts and organs. For instance, it damages your enamel. It leaves black stains on the teeth and gums, which trigger other dental problems.

Chewing on Toothpicks

Most people use toothpicks to remove the last bits of food from in between their teeth. However, chewing on them can cause serious harm in the long run. Dentists recommend not chewing on anything that’s not edible.

Eating a Lot of Carbs

Starchy food often sticks to the teeth longer than other types of foods. They upset the PH balance in your mouth and leave behind plaque that increases the risk of tooth cavities or decay.

Using Whitening Products Too Often

Everyone wants a gleaming white smile. However, overdoing it with whitening products can lead to adverse oral health problems. The products contain hydrogen peroxide that damages protein-rich dentin tissue under the enamel. If you have to use the products, limit the application to at least once a week to avoid doing more harm than good.

Tongue, Lip, or Cheek Piercing

We all want to look our best, but a tongue, cheek, and lip piercing are not the best for your mouth. The piercing in these areas could chip/fracture your teeth and irritate your gums. They can also damage oral tissue, hence impacting your sense of taste.

Playing Sports Without a Mouth Guard

You will notice that most professional sports players wear mouth guards-and there is a good reason for that. It is cushioning that prevents your teeth from cracking or breaking when they take a hard blow.

You need to take the ultimate caution when it comes to your teeth as an adult. You should avoid all the bad habits and focus on the good ones to enhance your oral hygiene.