Smile is one of the natural attributes people first notice in you. It’s one of the features that shows the mood we are feeling. It gives you the vibe to relate with others. Your smile can speak and transfer energy into a dull person. But, believe it or not, most of the things that can destroy your smile are related to poor oral hygiene and bad habits.
As natural and essential as a smile is, unethical lifestyles can ruin our smile. You would probably think eating expired food, drinking coffee, or smoking are the only habits that can damage your teeth and lead to an imperfect smile. There are other habits too. These lifestyles are your daily habits that primarily threaten your appearance.
But before we dive into the things that can destroy your smile, let us talk about some common symptoms of poor oral hygiene.
Symptoms of Poor Oral Hygiene
- Feeling excruciating pain when chewing food.
- When you begin to notice persistent sores, lumps, lesions, or any form of growth in your mouth, you need to see a dentist.
- Infection, teeth grinding, tooth decay, broken or fractured teeth can cause pain.
- Swellings, bleedings, or alteration in color in the gum is an indication that there are irritants beneath the gum. Treating it on time will prevent it from progressing to the point that the gums won’t support the teeth.
- The presence of bacteria and ulcers can cause your mouth to produce a foul smell which comes out as bad breath. This will cause people around you to feel uncomfortable and thereby affect your confidence level.
Five Things That Can Destroy Your Smile
Periodontal diseases
Also known as gum disease, periodontal disease is a gum infection that destroys soft tissue. If left without treatment, it can damage your jawbones. This is usually caused by poor oral hygiene.
The symptoms of gum disease include:
- Swollen or bright red gums
- Bleeding gums
- Painful chewing
- Spitting blood when flossing and bad breath
Gum disease is widespread, but it can be preventable by maintaining a thorough oral hygiene routine.
Cavity
Cavities are damaged areas in the surface of your teeth that lead to tiny holes. Also known as tooth decay caused by many factors that include:
- bacteria in your mouth
- not cleaning teeth well
- sipping sugary substances
If left untreated, it can affect your tooth’s deeper layers, thereby leading to severe toothache, infection, and finally, tooth loss.
Tooth decay develops when the bacteria in your mouth feed on the sugar and starches that are not washed off in your mouth. Your tooth enamel begins to erode, thereby causing holes.
Misaligned Teeth/Imbalance
Also known as occlusion, it refers to teeth that do not have their upper and lower teeth touching perfectly well, such as gaps between teeth, cross-bites, shifted midlines, and crowding. It is one of the main things that can destroy your smile.
Conditions that cause misaligned teeth are:
- tumors in the mouth
- inheritance
- thumb sucking
- injuries
- prolonged use of bottle-feeding
- cleft lips and palate
- improper fitting of dental fillings, braces, or crowns.
- Imbalances and misaligned teeth can lead to poor control of posture. Its symptoms include:
- changes in facial appearance
- biting of inner cheek and tongue
- feeling of discomfort when eating
- speech changes which include the development of lisp and breathing through the mouth
Missing Tooth
No smile is complete without a set of dashing white teeth. When a tooth is missing, it creates a void that needs to be filled, depending on its location. A missing tooth can allow the neighboring teeth to shift into unoccupied spaces. When that occurs, you will begin to have issues with bite alignment, teeth wear, and stress in the jaws.
Bruxism
Also known as teeth grinding, it’s a condition in which you unconsciously gnash your teeth during sleep or when awake. Factors contributing to bruxism include stress, age, aggressive personality, medication, and other disorders.
Clenching is a habit with many people. It can be severe enough to lead to headaches, fractured teeth, jaw pain, and earache when it is done for a long time. It can also increase tooth pain, sleep disruption, worn tooth enamel, and other complications.
Do Not Give Up On Your Smile
Things that can destroy your smile are not beyond your control. All you have to do is follow a sound oral hygiene system. That will keep you healthy and your beautiful smile shine for a very long time to come.
