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10 Habits That Wreck Your Teeth

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1. Chewing on Ice - Munching on hard, frozen cubes can chip or even crack your teeth.
2. Playing Sports With No Mouth Guard - Whether you play football, hockey, or any other contact sport, don't get in the game without a mouth guard. This is a piece of molded plastic that protects the upper row of teeth.
3. Bedtime Bottles - Giving a baby a bedtime bottle of juice, milk, or formula, can put new teeth on a path to decay as baby’s teeth will bath in sugars overnight. Make a habit to keep baby bottles out of the crib.
4. Tongue Piercings – maybe trendy, but biting down on the metal stud can crack a tooth. (same for lip piercing)
5. Grinding Teeth - Teeth grinding, or bruxism, can wear teeth down over time. It is most often caused by stress and sleeping habits.

6. Cough Drops - Most are loaded with sugar, be sure to brush well after you take the drops. Then bacteria in the plaque convert the sugar into an acid that eats away at tooth enamel, creating cavities!
7. Soda - Sodas can have up to 11 teaspoons of sugar per serving. Watch out cavities!
8. Opening Stuff With Your Teeth - Using your teeth as tools can cause them to crack or chip. A wrong bite on the bottle cap will send you to our office in a jiffy!
9. Drinking Coffee - Coffee's dark color and acidity can cause yellowing of the teeth over time. Talk to Dr. Bergan on the latest whitening packages available in office and take home.
10. Smoking - tobacco products can stain teeth and cause them to fall out as a result of gum disease. Tobacco can also cause cancer of the mouth, lips, and tongue. Call office of Dr. Alina Bergan at 800-223-0801 to setup your cancer screening appointment! You can also schedule online at http://www.alinabergandds.com/appointments/