The outermost layer of teeth is made up of dental enamel, which is the hardest substance in the human body. While this gives your pearly whites the remarkable strength they need to vigorously chew food for a lifetime if they receive excellent care, your smile is not indestructible. Here’s a brief guide to a few items that are hazardous to put in your mouth from your dentist.
Chewing Ice Will Break Your Teeth
If you were to see some gravel on the side of the road, you would probably refrain from placing it in your mouth and chewing on it. Unfortunately, water counts as a mineral when it is frozen, so chewing on ice has exactly the same effect as munching on rocks. Human teeth are not strong enough to crush ice without some enamel being destroyed, and an ice-chewing habit will eventually lead to cracks, chips, and fractures as well as permanent tooth loss. Refusing to chew ice can save you from many painful dental emergencies.
Bottle Caps Destroy Enamel
Many people find that their teeth are a convenient tool for opening bottles and other packages, but using your smile in this way is an excellent way to develop chips, cracks, and fractures that can permanently destroy your teeth if you don’t receive help from an emergency dentist. To avoid these painful problems and the need for costly restorative treatments to resolve them, make sure to invest in appropriate tools for these tasks such as bottle openers and box cutters.
Superglue Is Toxic
Superglue is an excellent way to repair many household items, but you should never try to fix broken dentures on your own. Attempting to repair or adjust your restoration without the help of a qualified oral health professional can lead to harmful substances such as superglue and other toxic adhesives being placed in the mouth, and it is unlikely that you’ll be able to set your broken appliance in a way that functions properly anyway. Please call your emergency dentist if your denture breaks to prevent oral injuries.
Keeping certain items and substances out of your mouth can be a great way to prevent a host of oral and overall health problems. Consulting with your dentist can help you understand how to avoid many dental emergencies.
About the Practice
Indy Dental Group defends the oral health of the communities of Indianapolis, Carmel, Westfield, and Fortville. Led by a team of nine experienced dentists, the staff treats each patient with courtesy, kindness, and the utmost respect. Areas of expertise include general, restorative, cosmetic, and emergency dentistry. To learn more about protecting your teeth from damage, contact the practice on the web.