Just when you think your dental checkup is over, the hygienist walks out and the dentist walks in. They look in your mouth and say you’ll have to come back for a filling, a root canal or even an extraction. Fortunately, modern advances in dentistry have made these procedures much less painful. But it’s still no fun. And it can be costly.

Want to know the secret to spending less time and money at the dentist’s office? Preventing dental problems before they start, says David Bradley, DMD. Dr. Bradley is a dentist in Greensboro, GA, and spokesperson for the Academy of General Dentistry. Here are nine common but surprisingly bad dental habits that are easy to drop.

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Bad habit #1: Biting your nails

If you regularly nibble on your nails, it can make your teeth shift out of place. It may also cause your teeth to break. Or it could damage enamel, the thin outer layer that helps protect your teeth. Do your best to keep your fingers out of your mouth.

Bad habit #2: Using your teeth as a tool

“Anytime you try to open a package like potato chips with your teeth, you run the risk of damaging them,” Dr. Bradley says. “That’s not what they’re designed for.” Grab a pair of scissors instead.

Bad habit #3: Brushing too hard

“You’re trying to remove bacteria when you brush teeth — you don’t need a jackhammer,” says Dr. Bradley. In fact, if you brush too hard, it can wear down the enamel on your teeth and damage your gums. “It’s like trying to clean your bathroom tile; that motion can be abrasive over time,” explains Dr. Bradley.

To brush the right way, the American Dental Association recommends using a soft-bristled toothbrush. Place it against your gumline at a 45-degree angle. Then move it gently back and forth in short strokes.

Bad habit #4: Chewing on ice

You might think ice is good for your teeth. It’s just water, after all, so what could go wrong? Turns out, a lot.  

“Crunching ice traumatizes teeth by combining extreme cold and hardness,” says Greg Grillo, DDS. Dr. Grillo is a dentist at Express Dentist in Naselle, WA. Chewing on ice can damage your tooth enamel and lead to fractured teeth.* His advice if you can’t go without ice? Suck on ice chips, but don’t chew them.

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Bad habit #5: Sipping sugary drinks over long periods 

Having a sugary drink even once in a while is bad enough for your teeth. Bacteria in your mouth use that sugar to make acids that attack your teeth enamel. But when you sip it for hours, it’s even worse.*

“Every time you take a sip, the acid level in your mouth jumps to a very high level. And it takes about 20 minutes for it to return to normal again,” says Dr. Bradley. “If you keep that acid level high over a few hours, it can definitely do a lot of damage.” The fix: Make water your go-to drink and sugary drinks an occasional treat.

Bad habit #6: Eating certain snacks without rinsing your mouth afterward 

That potato chip crunch may be satisfying, but each chip is filled with starch that gets trapped in your teeth.

“White bread, saltine crackers, chips and pasta are all fermentable carbohydrates. That means they break down into sugars while they’re still being chewed in your mouth,” says Whitney DiFoggio, RDH. She’s a dental hygienist in Chicago who runs the blog Teeth Talk Girl. This causes acids to be produced, significantly raising the risk for cavities and tooth decay.

DiFoggio’s advice: Swish water around your mouth and teeth after a high-carb snack. “This will limit the contact time the carbs have on your teeth and lower the amount of any broken-down sugar particles left in your mouth,” she says.

Bad habit #7: Forgetting to floss

Only about a third of American adults floss daily.* “If you don’t floss, you miss about one-third of your tooth surfaces,” says Dr. Grillo. “Between-teeth cleaning removes plaque that causes cavities and gum diseases.”

The good news? There are so many over-the-counter (OTC) options for cleaning between your teeth, including:

• Dental picks 

• String floss

• Tiny brushes that reach between your teeth 

• Water picks

Find the flossing tool that works for you and make it a daily habit. 

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Bad habit #8: Using DIY tooth whiteners

Some people suggest brushing with activated charcoal or baking soda to make your teeth very white. But it’s not a good idea. “Both are too abrasive for your tooth enamel,” says DiFoggio. “They may make your teeth appear whiter at first. But they’ll damage them in the long run.”

It’s fine to use store-bought whitening toothpaste. But avoid DIY ones. Instead, stick to a brand that has the American Dental Association seal of approval on its label.

Bad habit #9: Skipping regular checkups with your dentist 

Only about two-thirds of American adults have seen a dentist in the past year.* But it’s important to visit yours at least once every six months. “So much of dentistry is prevention,” says Dr. Bradley. “If you can catch something at a small stage and fix it now, you’ll save money in the long run.”

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To see if an Aetna® Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan, or D-SNP, plan is right for you, call us at 1-833-228-1297 (TTY: 711) between 8 AM and 8 PM, 7 days a week. 

If you qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid, you may be eligible for an Aetna® Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP).

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*FOR CHEWING ICE AND SUGARY DRINKS DAMAGE SOURCE: MouthHealthy. 6 habits that harm your teeth (and how to break them). American Dental Association. Accessed September 20, 2024.

*FOR DAILY FLOSSING STATISTIC SOURCE: Fleming EB, Nguyen D, Afful J, et al. Prevalence of daily flossing among adults by selected risk factors for periodontal disease-United States, 2011-2014. Journal of Periodontology. August 2018; 89(8):933-939. Accessed September 20, 2024.

*FOR DENTIST VISIT STATISTICS SOURCE: Statista. Percentage of adults with a dental visit in the past year in the U.S. from 1997 to 2019, by gender. November 15, 2022. Accessed September 20, 2024.  

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