Today we will talk about a few things that is terrible for your teeth and you shouldn’t do it during Invisalign treatment.

The first is sucking on lemons. Lemons are very acidic and when you put acid on teeth and teeth are made out of minerals such as calcium and phosphates, the acid in the lemon can break down your enamel and cause them to become decalcified. Over time that can wear down and thin out your enamel and it’s really the same principle as leaving plaque on your teeth. The plaque is also acidic and it can eat into your enamel. So if you have a habit of sucking on lemons, please don’t do that because it is really bad for your teeth.

If you do drink something acidic like orange juice or lemonade, then it’s best to not brush your teeth right after you drink those acidic foods and drinks. Because your teeth and your enamel are already more softened. It’s better to wait 30 minutes first before brushing. The saliva in your body actually has minerals and it helps to re-mineralize some of those deficiencies that have already been caused by the decalcification process of the acids.

The second thing is you shouldn’t bite on ice. The reason is because ice is really hard and it can cause chips and fractures to your enamel. Once that happens, you have to get that fixed and as we get wiser, our teeth and our enamels they become a little more brittle. You can start to see micro fractures already and if you bite on something hard and cold like ice cubes, it can cause those fractures to become macro fractures and cause chips on your teeth. That isn’t a very inexpensive repair at the dental office.

The third thing that’s really terrible for your teeth is sipping on soda or coffee that’s full of sugar all day long. Because sugar is a food that feeds the bacteria in your mouth. Every time you drink sugar, it gives the bacteria a chance to eat more, consume that and turn the sugars into acid. Acid is what’s in the plaque and again the plaque being acidic can eat into your enamel causing decalcification of your enamel, over time causing cavities.

The fourth thing that is a terrible thing to do is to use your teeth as a tool. Some of you like to use your teeth to open something, such as a bottle cap or use teeth to cut thread. Using your teeth as tools over time can wear out your teeth and can cause micro fractures or macro fractures in your enamel. Once your enamel breaks down it doesn’t grow back.

The way to really fix those chips and fractures is via a procedure called cosmetic bonding, which is where the general dentist adds tooth colored material. It’s like a filling to help reshape your enamel. But when that happens, the material isn’t the strongest and if you continue that biting habit, your composite fillings can fracture as well and they can break down.

The other option is to use veneers and veneers are very thin and it’s well fitted to the surfaces of your teeth and again they’re quite brittle. If you continue to use your teeth as tools that can really fracture your veneers as well.

The fifth thing that is not great for your teeth are tongue piercings. When you are talking or eating the tongue piercing itself can hit the inside of your teeth causing fractures as well to your bottom teeth and your front teeth. Again once your teeth fractures, it needs to be repaired at the dentist via bonding or veneers, and both of which are not inexpensive.

The last thing that is not great for your teeth is jiggling them all the time. Of course nobody will actively take their teeth and wiggle or jiggle them unless you have a baby tooth. One way of doing that is by putting on your clear aligners and taking them off excessively throughout the day. When you’re putting on your clear aligners is you’re pushing your teeth one way. When you take them out your teeth will bounce back to where it was before and then you put it back on and it push your tooth back the way the clear aligners want it to be. That jiggling is quite terrible for your teeth.

So listen to your orthodontist when they say wear aim to wear your aligners at least 20 to 22 hours a day. On that way it will give your teeth a chance and your bone cells a chance to break down the bone to move the teeth into the desired position and the aligners will then hold it there. So the osteoblasts or the bone building cells will begin to form bone on the tension side the opposite side of where the tooth is moving.

Hope you found this helpful. If you are currently doing one of those things, try to stop because it can be bad for your teeth. It could cost you a lot of money and it could be quite unpleasant to go through certain dental procedures in order to fix those things.