Blog

Too much pressure, applied at the wrong angle, can cause the strong outer enamel of your teeth to chip or crack. 

While Dr. Louis Russell, Jr, and the team at Russell Family Dentistry of Tomball, Texas, can repair chips or cracks using restorative dentistry procedures like dental crowns, you might prefer to skip the visit to the dentist and protect your teeth from cracks, instead.

Some bad habits can significantly increase your risk of cracking a tooth. Here are the habits and behaviors that Dr. Russell recommends his patients avoid — so they don’t have to come in to see him too often!

Get a handle on teeth grinding

Also known as bruxism, teeth grinding or clenching puts a lot of pressure on your teeth, and can lead to cracks. You might grit your teeth under stress during the day. Or, maybe you’re bruxing overnight in your sleep without even knowing it!

You may be able to address daytime teeth grinding with stress management techniques. For nighttime bruxism, Dr. Russell recommends a mouth guard, a custom-molded piece of plastic that covers and protects the upper row of your teeth, lessening dental stress due to grinding.

Protect your teeth during sports

Mouthguards aren’t only good for nighttime stresses. If you play active contact sports, a mouthguard can protect you from chips, cracks, and even knocked-out teeth. Sports like hockey and football need a mouth guard for your dental health.

Dr. Russell can fit you with a professional-grade custom mouthguard for optimal dental protection. You can also purchase at-home kits for creating your own mouth guard.

Watch out for risky chewing

You depend on your teeth for biting and chewing, but some chewing habits can put your teeth at risk of cracking. It’s one thing to tear into a good meal, and another thing to persist with these damaging dental habits:

• Watch out for the temptation to chew on pens and pencils when idle or bored, or you risk chipping and cracking teeth
• Chewing on ice is also a bad idea for your teeth, despite ice being sugar-free, due to an increased risk of cracking

If you watch out for bad habits, you’re less likely to need Dr. Russell’s help with procedures to repair chipped or cracked teeth, and we’ll only see you for regular check-up visits. If you’re concerned about your risk of cracking a tooth, or have a cracked tooth that could use repair and restoration, get in touch with Dr. Russell and the team at Russell Family Dentistry today.

Schedule your appointment by calling now, or book with our online tool.