Sean recently paid a visit to Delmarva Dental Services to find out some of the other harmful dental habits you should kick.

Dr. Lee Auchey with Delmarva Dental Services says habits like biting your nails and chewing on a pen are habits you should kick and the sooner, the better.

“The habits can be really hard to quit, but they can also cause a lot of cumulative effects so the sooner that we can get someone to realize what they’re doing and then they can usually make a change and stop or work towards changing those habits the better off they’re gonna be long-term,” Dr. Auchey says.

Many people bite their nails and Dr. Auchey says people who bite their nails may have crack lines on the front of their teeth and the edges of the front teeth are really worn down.

Chewing ice and drinking a sugary drink can be bad for your teeth as well. Dr. Auchey also says that some habits can be more difficult to kick such as grinding or clenching habits.

“We’ll see evidence on their teeth that they are in fact doing something. We’ll see wearing down of the teeth.  You can also cause fractures of the teeth by the intensity that you grind or crunch,” Dr. Auchey says.

Brushing your teeth too hard or using the wrong type of toothpaste could be bad for your teeth as well.

“Most of the time, people may not realize what they’re doing is so significant,” Dr. Auchey says. “Most of the time people are very willing to try to make a change once we make them aware of the problem and educate them on how we can get things better.”