Healthy natural teeth perform a range of essential functions—helping with speech as well as nonverbal communication, assists in food consumption, and more. And everyone feels more confident when they can flash a bright, white, and even smile.
Yet, some people insist on using their teeth to do things they shouldn’t, like opening bottles and holding things between their teeth, running the risk of severely damaging their teeth. As your local Billings, MT, dentists, we want you to stop opening bottles with your teeth and using them as substitute tools.
Is It Bad To Open Bottles With Your Teeth?
The enamel of your teeth is the hardest substance in your body. However, that doesn’t mean that it is up to being used as a bottle opener. Leave the opening of bottles with teeth to Hollywood—for everyone else, it is a terrible idea to open bottles with your teeth.
Think about it. Your teeth are quite strong as a chomping whole, but if you are using them to open a bottle, you are putting a lot of pressure on the crown of just a couple of your teeth. That kind of pressure is guaranteed to go wrong, either on the first try or down the road, the end result is the same.
Other Things You Should Stop Doing With Your Teeth
Along with needing to stop using your teeth to open bottles, there are other nonfood related things you should stop doing with your teeth so that you don’t have to visit our dental clinic before your next preventative dental cleaning.
- Prying things open – Sometimes, when things get jammed, it can get frustrating. But you don’t want to resort to your teeth in frustration. It can increase the force you are using with your teeth and lead to painfully chipped teeth.
- Using them as scissors – You know that vacuum-sealed plastic that seems to be on every electronic purchase? Yeah, stop using your teeth to tear off the initial edge. It can lead to chipping your front teeth on each other, so stick to keeping scissors handy.
- Cracking open items – Most people have cracked open something like a nut with their teeth. But no bite of nut is worth cracking a tooth or chipping off a chunk. Stick to a nutcracker and other tools that aren’t your teeth when it comes to breaking things open.
- Carrying things between teeth – Sometimes, teeth can seem like a convenient third hand. However, if something pulls out the thing you are holding or jostles the item, you run the risk of dislodging a tooth or creating a stress fracture.
What To Do When You Chip A Tooth On A Bottle
Unfortunately, for some people, our advice has come a little late, and they have already chipped a tooth opening a bottle or while using their teeth as tools. Depending on the extent of the damage, your tooth can be repaired with cosmetic dentistry. Some common options to correct cracked or chipped teeth are:
- Bonding – For light dental damage—such as a chip or cracked tooth—bonding may be enough to fix your tooth. Using composite resin, our dentists can fill in the damaged area and cure it with a special light. The composite is matched to your teeth so that the damage can be completely fixed without being obvious.
- Veneers – Sometimes, several teeth are chipped when you try and use your teeth as tools. When the damage occurs to your front teeth, veneers are an excellent option. Thin layers of porcelain are laid over the damaged teeth for a revitalized appearance.
- Crown – Your molars require more sturdy repairs if they become chipped, as they take a lot of pressure when you eat. In these cases, a dental crown to cover the damaged tooth is the preferred method to fix a chipped tooth.
- Dental implant – There are times where the damage is too extensive, and the tooth cannot be saved. In these cases, extraction of the broken tooth is needed, and a dental implant can be placed.
Whether you have a chipped or cracked tooth from using your teeth as a tool or simply need a preventative dental cleaning, you can count on Bridge Creek Dental. Contact us today to set up your dental appointment with one of our dentists and start taking care of your smile!