Last Updated on 26th July 2019
If so, you are not alone but the advice from our Evesham dentists is to stop! Most of us are putting our oral health at risk by using our teeth as tools for jobs they weren’t intended for.
Joint research by the Oral Health Foundation and Philips, and highlighted by Evesham Dental Health Team, has found that 65% of us frequently use our teeth for tasks other than eating and drinking.
The most common misuse for our teeth is tearing sticky tape with 41% of us admitting to doing this regularly. More than a quarter of us bite our nails while over a fifth use our teeth to carry things when our hands are full.
Other popular uses include taking tags out of clothing (20%), chewing pens and pencils (16%), opening bottles (9%) and doing up zips (4%).
Dr Nigel Carter OBE, Chief Executive of the Oral Health Foundation says that while it may seem trivial, using our teeth as tools poses a considerable risk to our oral health.
Dr Carter says: “Anything from opening bottles to chewing foreign objects can damage existing dental work or cause our teeth to crack.
“There are also examples of teeth shifting out of place, chipping, and in some cases breaking, due to the pressure and strain. Accidents are also more likely to happen which could result in invasive and expensive emergency dental work.”
Young adults are the biggest culprits when it comes to using teeth in improper ways with 85% of 18-35-year-olds admitting to abusing their teeth by performing unusual tasks with them. This is significantly higher than 35-54-year-olds (70%) and the over-55s (54%).
Restoring teeth in Evesham
If you have cracked or chipped a tooth, please get in touch for some help and advice. Our Worcestershire dentists have a raft of solutions at their fingertips, from dental veneers or crowns, to composite bonding.
Composite bonding can transform the appearance of one or more teeth in a single visit. Tooth-coloured composite resin (like a white filling) straightens uneven or chipped edges, or closes gaps between our teeth. This fast, affordable and impressive treatment requires minimal tooth preparation and is completed in less than one hour per tooth often without the need for any anaesthetic.
If you would like to find out more, please contact our Evesham dental practice on Broadway Road.
When sharing isn’t caring – it’s time to be selfish with your toothbrush!
Despite it being bad news for our health, one in four of us are happy to share our toothbrush with others, explain the dentists at Evesham Dental Health Team on Broadway Road.
A new study has found that more than a quarter of the UK population admit they would share their toothbrush with a family member, friend, partner, neighbour or celebrity.
Men are significantly more likely to allow somebody else to borrow their toothbrush (32%) than women are (20%). Younger adults are also nearly twice as willing to share their toothbrush (55%) compared to their parents (30%), and around four times more open to do so than their grandparents (13%).
Dr Ben Atkins, dentist and trustee of the Oral Health Foundation, who carried out the poll with Philips, wants to warn people against the idea of sharing their toothbrush and says that it can lead to a number of health problems.
Dr Atkins says: “Although it may seem like a kind gesture to share your toothbrush, it really is not a very good idea. Sharing a toothbrush leaves you susceptible to all sorts of oral and general health problems.
“This is because brushing sometimes causes the gums to bleed, which exposes everyone you share your toothbrush with to bloodstream diseases. This means that by sharing a toothbrush, you could also be sharing blood, which is a lot riskier than just swapping saliva.”
There are many hundreds of different bacteria and viruses in our mouths and people sharing a toothbrush could be passing these on to others. This could include common colds, cold sores or even hepatitis B.
Dr Nigel Carter OBE, Chief Executive of the Oral Health Foundation, adds: “The mouth harbours hundreds of different kinds of bacteria, that can be easily transferred from one person to another. You can control this by only using your own toothbrush.
“By avoiding using other people’s toothbrushes you will prevent the mixing of bacteria and plaque. This will protect the health of yourself as well as others.”
If you are concerned about your dental health, contact us for more information. Our Evesham dental practice is open six days most weeks, with late appointments until 7pm Monday to Thursday and from 8am – 1pm three Saturdays a month.
Welcoming new private patients from across Worcestershire
The door to our Evesham dental practice is always open to new patients – please contact us to book an appointment or for more information.
