This four-part article series covers the many habits - some innocent, some not-so innocent - that could be destroying your teeth and oral health, leading to the need for dental implants. Welcome back to our four-part article series in which New Teeth in NJ specialists explain the top habits and behaviors that could be wrecking the health of your teeth and gums. In our previous article post, the first of the series, chewing ice and playing sports without a mouth guard were discussed as the first two harmful habits. We‟ve got many more to get through - some you may already be aware of but others that may come as a surprise - so let‟s get straight back into it! Teeth-Wrecking Habit # 3: Giving Baby a Bedtime Bottle Handing your tiny tot a bottle as they go to bed may help them fall asleep, but it could also lead to early tooth decay! Whether it‟s formula or juice, both contain sugar and bacteria love sugar. Giving your child a bottle to suck overnight leaves their developing teeth and gums in a veritable sugar bath, which is oral bacteria‟s idea of paradise. Feed your baby before you put him or her to bed and be sure to gently clean their mouths afterwards. If they want something to suck on, give them water or a pacifier. „The development of a child‟s adult teeth can be severely impacted by the health of their predecessors, the baby milk teeth,” explain New Teeth or dental implant specialists. “As such, it‟s imperative that parents take the correct actions in looking after their children‟s pearly whites. Also note that you should throw the pacifier in the trash bin after age 1. Constant sucking on these kinds of appliances can actually change the shape of the mouth and can result in severe orthodontic problems.” Teeth-Wrecking Habit # 4: Lip and Tongue Piercings

Feeling rebellious? Try a tattoo... lip and tongue piercings can do serious damage to your dental enamel! Accidentally biting down on the stainless steel bar or the constant tapping of the piercing against the back of your teeth as you talk can cause chipping and cracks. In the case of lip piercings, the metal disk on the inside of the lip can rub against the gums causing irritation, inflammation and even infection. The gums can become so damaged that they actually recede from the crowns of the teeth, revealing the darker root underneath (see image above). Tongue piercings can also make it difficult for you to clean your tongue properly. This is not even to mention the risk of infection such invasive activities cause. Again, if you‟re feeling rebellious, do something really brave like get a tattoo or dye your hair shocking pink, instead. Leave your mouth alone! Teeth-Wrecking Habit # 5: Tobacco-Use

Perhaps the least surprising of all the bad habits on this list are smoking and tobacco-use. We won‟t bore you with the details, but in short, tobacco-use:

Stains the teeth,

Causes dry mouth,

Causes bad breath: “smoker‟s halitosis”,

Irritates and inflames (burns) the soft tissues in the mouth,

Slows the natural healing process,

Renders various procedures less likely to succeed, such as dental implants,

Increases your risk of developing oral cancer,

Causes gum infection and disease. Stay Tuned for Part 3 If you like your current pearly whites and want to avoid needing new teeth later on in life, stay tuned for the third installment of this four-part article series to find out more of the bad habits, behaviors and addictions you should be avoiding!

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