Smiling is said to be the best remedy to be an aching soul. It is one of the first things that any onlooker will notice in you and that is why a beautiful smile never goes out of style.

But are you destroying your teeth everyday even without knowing?

Most of us leave no stones unturned to maintain the spark of that smile. But there are many-a-times when we end up harming that because of sheer ignorance.

Starting from having sugary drinks to chewing on ice – there is a bunch of things that can damage the teeth immensely and that we commit day-in and day-out.

To make you aware of the same, here is a list of everyday habits that you should steer clear of to save your pearly whites. Just take a look.

• Problem 1– Using the Teeth as Tools – Dentists opine that patients perform a lot of odd jobs with the help of their teeth. This ranges from opening a bag of chips and uncapping a bottle of nail polish to straightening a bent fork and ripping a price tag off a piece of clothing. Most perform all of it with just the teeth. This can traumatise the teeth and lead to the chipping off, the fracturing of the weakened teeth and even fracture. So you need to think about what you are putting in the mouth prior to using the teeth as tools. Keep simple tools like pliers and scissors handy to do the dirty work. This will help in maintaining good oral health.
• Problem 2 – Nail Biting – This is an outcome of nervousness and can chip the teeth and impact the jaw. When you bite your nails, you have to place the jaw in a protruding position for a long period of time that leads to jaw dysfunction. To solve this, you should set small realistic goals, reduce stress and use strategies like opting for bitter nail polishes. If there are certain situations that can trigger this, you should hold something that can keep the fingers busy.
• Problem 3 –Crunching on Ice – Ice is said to be sugar-free and natural, so to many, this seems to be harmless. But munching on these solid cubes can crack and chip your teeth. Not just that, if the pointless chomping bothers the soft tissues of the teeth then the regular toothaches can be the next to follow your predicament. The hot and cold foods can trigger the sharp, quick jabs of pain or lingering toothache. So go for chewing some sugarless gums instead of ice the next time.
• Problem 4 – Brushing the Teeth Too Hard – Brushing for a couple of minutes twice a day happens to be one of the best habits that you can adopt for your teeth. Just ensure that you are not trying too hard. Brushing too hard can irritate the gums and can damage the teeth. You should actually opt for massaging your teeth instead of scrubbing.
• Problem 5 – Jaw-clenching and Teeth Grinding – For a lot of people stress can trigger frequent grinding or clenching the teeth. There is a huge amount of pressure on the teeth when you do that. You can also get fractures or microfractures in your teeth. The microfractures are the areas that are weakened in the teeth which put them at risk for future damage. Dental work can also be damaged by tooth grinding or jaw clenching.

The above are some of the habits that you can shun to ensure the betterment of your oral health and maintenance of your pearly whites so that you can keep smiling confidently for years together.