Often repetitive and involuntary, stress induced nervous habits can actually cause damage to your teeth. Here are five of the most dangerous nervous habits that you need to break if you want to protect your teeth.
Fingernail Biting
One of the most common self soothing habits we see from childhood involves sticking our hands in our mouths. Humans are hard wired to suck on their thumbs to help them go to sleep and feel comforted. Eventually we are expected to develop the skills and coping mechanisms to deal with stress in other more “adult” ways. Unfortunately many of us simply replace one habit with another. Fingernail biting seems to be one of the most common adult nervous habits. Unfortunately this habit often involves the edges of the upper and lower teeth to scrape against one another. Ewww, I just heard that sound in my head and got chills….. Anyway, you can imagine the slow process of wear and tear on these surfaces. Over time, small fractures can form causing sensitivity and chipped teeth. Quite a few dental professionals have also discovered small slivers of fingernail embedded in the gums of their patients. Last but not least, think about all of the things living under your fingernails that you just don’t want to have in your mouth. Bacteria, parasites, snd yes, even small bug larvae have actually been discovered living underneath the gums of habitual fingernail biters.
Chewing on Your Lips
Forget the sexy models and movie stars that gently tug on their lower lip while they cast a sultry look at the camera. None of us can really pull that off anyway. At least not me! I’m talking about the classic repetitive and subconscious chewing on the dead skin hanging around the outer part of the lip that requires you to stock up on chap stick later. It also includes gnawing on the soft textured bits on the inner part of your lips as well. Getting into this super common habit can cause irritation fibromas, a build up of scar tissue, ulcers, blocked salivary glands… and don’t hate me for saying this, but even oral cancers have been linked to lip biting.
Crunching On Ice
Okay… let’s go ahead and put it out there. For a lot of people, crunching on frozen water relieves stress….I know a lot of you just love it. My ice chewing addict friends will defend themselves to no end. I’ve had numerous folks tell me they choose the crushed ice because it’s “softer”. I even know a dentist that has gold crowns on most of his back teeth so he can continue his ice habit. Unfortunately chewing ice is bound to cause some problems. The sound drives me bonkers so I don’t mind encouraging people not to do it. Although you’ll hear me say often how amazing our tooth’s outer shell of enamel is, it just cannot stand up to the wear and tear that ice can cause. I’m talking fractures, broken teeth, root canals and crowns. Trust me… it’s just not worth it.
Chewing Gum
Most consumers know sugar laden gum should be avoided. I’m sad to see the shelves keep getting stocked with this cavity generating product because humans keep buying it. So, you would think that sugar free gum is fine. Not exactly. Some “sugar free” gums use sweeteners that are still processed by the germs in your mouth which then turns into acids that can contribute to decay. Now, maybe getting 100% xylitol gum with solve everything?!? It depends. For most of us, chewing on the right piece of gum for just a few minutes will indeed regulate the ph in our mouths and help remove food bits after meals. The key is to limit your chewing time to just that. Gnawing on gum out of nervousness or boredom can actually cause some jaw discomfort and muscles pulls in that area. So, if you have a tendency to keep your gum in your mouth for long periods of time, you may just need to set a timer.
Snack Attacks
Having a normal meal isn’t what I’m going after with this one. The problems arise when people eat out of nervousness or in an attempt to deal with stress. I’ve never known someone to grab a bag of carrots or celery sticks when they are stress eating. It’s usually delicious offerings that are full of sugar and carbs. As we know, germs thrive in an environment loaded with sugar. Not only do they produce like crazy when they are fed, they also expel lots of acid, which then in turn puts your teeth at risk for cavities. Want my best advice? If you know you eat when you are stressed, start clearing the unhealthy stuff out of your fridge and cabinets. Replace them one at a time with small ziplock bags of healthy alternatives that don’t put you at risk. Keep these little pre packaged snacks close so you don’t have the option of going for something unhealthy. Making this change will benefit your entire body, but it all starts with your mouth!