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Never Forget That Teeth Are Not Tools

Live Life Smiling

teeth-are-not-tools
  • Holmes and Palmer Orthodontics
  • June 29, 2022

 

TEETH HAVE MANY different uses, from chewing our food to helping us speak clearly to forming the structure of our faces. They also give us our smiles! These are the uses our teeth are for, but we risk causing serious damage to them when we use them as tools for other jobs.

Teeth Do Not Make Good Scissors or Nail Clippers

Nail-biting is a habit that can do enough damage to fill its own blog post, but it ties into the topic of proper and improper uses for teeth. The area underneath our fingernails is essentially impossible to properly clean. Germs love to grow there, and they transfer to our mouths when we bite our nails. Nail-biting also causes a lot of unnecessary wear and tear to the front teeth, potentially even shifting them out of place.

Apart from biting nails, it may sometimes seem convenient to bite through something like a piece of tape. The sawing motion to cut through tape involves a lot of grinding that damages the surface of the teeth. It’s not the same as a chewing motion. Some people even use their teeth on materials like wire, which can wear notches into them. It’s worth the extra few seconds to use scissors or pliers instead!

Teeth Are for Chewing Nuts, Not Cracking Them

If you enjoy pistachios, peanuts, walnuts, pecans, or even the half-popped kernels at the bottom of the popcorn bag, don’t use your teeth to crack them. It’s a great way to chip or crack a tooth, especially one that’s already undergone a dental procedure or one that has an untreated cavity. It’s much safer to use your hands or a nutcracker.

Teeth Are Not Good for Opening Bottles

Tooth enamel might be the hardest substance in the human body, but it’s much too brittle to withstand metal bottle caps. A tooth can chip on the edge, and even a little slip could result in a nasty gash on the lips or gums. Even if you think it looks cool to open a bottle with your teeth, we as dental professionals urge you to use an actual bottle opener.

Don’t Use Teeth as a Third Hand

If we’re in the middle of a busy task and run out of hands to hold things, it can be easy to briefly stick a pencil, some nails, or a few sewing pins in our mouths until we have a hand free. The added convenience isn’t worth the risks. Being hit with a sudden yawn, hiccup, sneeze, or cough, or even tripping over something could end in disaster.

Even without anything that dramatic, these items cause unusual wear on the chewing surfaces. Seamstresses who hold sewing pins in the same spots between their teeth over the years wear dents into them. Just use the pincushion instead!

Make Sure You Only Use Your Teeth for Their Intended Purposes

Fracturing and cracks are the third-highest cause of tooth loss, and we significantly reduce the risk of needing an emergency dental visit and a series of expensive restorative procedures if we only use our teeth for chewing and speaking. Also make sure to brush twice a day, floss daily, and schedule your regular dental checkups!

Another intended use of teeth is smiling, which we love to see!

Top image used under CC0 Public Domain license. Image cropped and modified from original.
The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

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Patient reviews

EVERY SMILE TELLS A SPECIAL STORY

We are thankful for the opportunity to serve our community with excellent care and take pride in our mission of having a patient-centered philosophy. Check out what our patients are saying about us!

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Jane E.
It isn't always easy to find providers that are especially patient and kind to patients with special needs. This group ALWAYS go out of their way to make us feel welcome and comfortable. The staff is wonderful! We are extremely blessed to have the orthodontic care we need from this business.
Jane E.
It isn't always easy to find providers that are especially patient and kind to patients with special needs. This group ALWAYS go out of their way to make us feel welcome and comfortable. The staff is wonderful! We are extremely blessed to have the orthodontic care we need from this business.
Legacy S.
Today at Drs Holmes and Palmer my Granddaughter ,Legacy Spurlock , had her braces put on.
I am so happy we Chose them. Not only was the Young lady, putting the braces on very nice That made Legacyy feel very comfortable and answered every question that she asked, and she asked a lot.
We are home now. She doesn’t need anything for pain, She is very proud of her Yes braces and her experience she had.
Thank you to every one that made her experience. One she will always remember.
Legacy S.
Today at Drs Holmes and Palmer my Granddaughter ,Legacy Spurlock , had her braces put on.
I am so happy we Chose them. Not only was the Young lady, putting the braces on very nice That made Legacyy feel very comfortable and answered every question that she asked, and she asked a lot.
We are home now. She doesn’t need anything for pain, She is very proud of her Yes braces and her experience she had.
Thank you to every one that made her experience. One she will always remember.
Staci A.
Very friendly and experienced. Awesome with kids! My son, Evan is 9 and was a little nervous for his first orthodontist consult appointment. They worked well showing and explaining everything they were getting ready to do. Even let him “help” some!! He has a follow up in 6 months to see if it’s time for his braces then. He’s not as worried about his next appointment now. Highly recommend!! Thank you!
Staci A.
Very friendly and experienced. Awesome with kids! My son, Evan is 9 and was a little nervous for his first orthodontist consult appointment. They worked well showing and explaining everything they were getting ready to do. Even let him “help” some!! He has a follow up in 6 months to see if it’s time for his braces then. He’s not as worried about his next appointment now. Highly recommend!! Thank you!
Jessie P.
They are very nice and friendly and such wonderful place would definitely recommend.
Jessie P.
They are very nice and friendly and such wonderful place would definitely recommend.
Amanda “ManDee” T.
This Orthodontist and the employees are amazing. They're very patient and kind with the young patients... I highly recommend!!!!
Amanda “ManDee” T.
This Orthodontist and the employees are amazing. They're very patient and kind with the young patients... I highly recommend!!!!
kristen W.
This is our first experience with orthodontics and we are very pleased with the service and friendliness of staff! They are so helpful and welcoming! Definitely recommend to my friends and family!
kristen W.
This is our first experience with orthodontics and we are very pleased with the service and friendliness of staff! They are so helpful and welcoming! Definitely recommend to my friends and family!
Andrea H.
Great customer service as always! The ladies at the front desk are always welcoming and very friendly. We appreciate the promptness of getting our daughter in for an emergency visit!
Andrea H.
Great customer service as always! The ladies at the front desk are always welcoming and very friendly. We appreciate the promptness of getting our daughter in for an emergency visit!
Emily B.
They are awesome with my girl and offer brace bucks! Great reinforcement and amazing people! 😊
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