No one wants to lose teeth. As you age you’ve probably become more and more aware of how easy it can be to lose teeth and more of the people you know have probably started down the road to tooth loss or are already there! At New Albany Implants we want to keep you in a healthy, happy smile for years to come!
There are some bad habits and lifestyle choices that are direct contributors to tooth loss, but there is a good part. You can protect your teeth, prevent loss, and even reverse damage by cutting out certain behaviors and caring for your teeth properly!
Trigger #1: Tobacco Use
Whether it’s cigarettes, cigars, a pipe, or smokeless tobacco you’re at risk for tooth loss if you use tobacco products! Smoking tobacco causes changes in the blood flow to your gums, which can cause serious issues for your oral health! The change and interruption to your blood flow can cause damage to your gums and one of the major issues that come with that is gums that pull away from the teeth!
When your gums pull away from your teeth they invite plaque bacteria to invade and set up shop. These bacteria irritate and damage your gums and the roots of your teeth, causing decay, inflammation, and potential tooth loss!
Smokeless tobacco is just as bad, if not worse! Not only does it contain far more nicotine, making it harder to quit, but it’s delivering the same harmful chemicals directly to your gum tissue! Smokeless tobacco causes gum recession, gum disease, and has a higher risk for causing cavities because it contains sugar! All of that sugar simply causes plaque bacteria to produce more acid, weakening and damaging your enamel faster and faster!
Trigger #2: Alcohol Use
Excessive alcohol use has been linked to oral cancer, precancerous lesions, and other troubling issues. Many alcoholic drinks also contain a high amount of sugar, making them a contributor to tooth decay and gum disease!
Alcohol also dehydrates you, and you need saliva to have a healthy mouth! Chronic alcohol use can lead to a dry mouth that lets bacteria wreak havoc and grow without the mouth-cleansing benefits of saliva! If you do drink it’s important to consume a lot of water as well!
Trigger #3: Pregnancy
Being pregnant can do a number on your teeth! Morning sickness and feeling ill early in pregnancy can cause vomiting, which is very damaging to your teeth because it’s so acidic. But that isn’t the main concern with pregnancy and tooth loss: it’s building that baby!
Bones need a lot of calcium, so most of the calcium that you’re getting goes toward building the skeletal structure of your child. In order to combat the potential tooth damage and loss due to less calcium getting to you make sure you add more dairy and supplements to your diet. You should also consider taking vitamin D since it helps the body absorb and use calcium more efficiently!
Trigger #4: Bruxism
Bruxism, or grinding your teeth, is a good way to lose them. Excess grinding and extreme pressure on your teeth doesn’t just wear them down and potentially cause microfractures. It also loosens them and can damage your gums as well!
Your gums are very sensitive to pressure changes, even the small ones that come with grinding your teeth. When you keep grinding you damage the blood flow to both your teeth and gums, causing them to loosen, weaken, and potentially recede! Left unchecked these problems can lead directly to tooth loss!
Trigger #5: Avoiding The Dentist
You might be an incredibly talented and disciplined oral care person but you can’t do it all at home! Over 90 percent of American adults have at least one cavity, so that number undoubtedly includes disciplined brushers and flossers!
Regular dental care is important to preserving the health of your mouth. If you see us at our New Albany dentist office every six months we can catch potential problems before the start, saving you time, money, and lost teeth later in life!
Protect Your Smile!
Don’t take chances with bad habits, neglect, or a lifestyle that promotes tooth loss. Call our New Albany dentist office today at (812) 945-7645! If you need to schedule an appointment with us you can do so on the phone or by filling out our online appointment request form. We look forward to preserving your smile!