5 factors that ruin your teeth and you didn’t even imagine –

Brushing your teeth three times a day, flossing frequently and using mouthwash every night before bed is not always enough to ensure the health of your teeth. The secret to a smile to envy? Maintaining the colony of bacteria that live in our mouth, which can be influenced by a number of factors that go beyond just oral hygiene.

Keep an eye out: any of the items below can help make your half-yearly visits to the dentist more frequent.

1. Your training

The chances of you breathing through your mouth and leaving the region more dry during the workout are great. Combine that with the acidity and sugar in sports drinks, and you’ve got a plate full of harmful microorganisms that want to make their home in your teeth.

In order not to give them a chance, opt for good old water before and after exercises. Another thing that helps is chewing sugarless gum during activities to stimulate saliva production, which works as a natural detergent.

Read more: What wears away and what preserves tooth enamel

2. Your night

Here, two factors come into play: snoring and bruxism. “The first causes a decrease in the flow of saliva due to mouth breathing, which limits teeth cleaning”, explains Alexandre Bussab, dental surgeon at Clínica Brasil Smiles, in São Paulo.

The second already compromises the structure of the teeth because of the pressure exerted by the jaw muscles. To solve the problem, talk to your doctor about accessories that minimize both snoring and teeth grinding.

3. Medicines

Some of them cause, in addition to dryness in the mouth, gray spots. Hence the importance of talking to your dentist about all the medicines that are part of your routine – both those that need a prescription and those that are sold over the counter in pharmacies.

Read more: Substance that regenerates teeth begins to be tested

4. Carbonated drinks

The problem here is carbonic acid. Some preliminary studies relate the consumption of beverages that contain the substance in their composition to enamel corrosion. “They cause abrasion and, many times, increase the sensitivity of the teeth”, says the specialist.

5. Tongue piercing

Metal friction with teeth causes intense wear in the region and may even cause a fracture, especially if it is positioned near the tip of the tongue.