TEETH has many uses, from helping us speak clearly, and chewing our food, to forming the structure of our faces. Teeth also make up our smiles! These are the uses our teeth are for, but when we use them as tools for other jobs, we risk causing severe damage to them.
Teeth Do Not Make Good Nail Clippers or Scissors
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. Nail-biting consists of getting rid of a nail by biting it off. While it is rare to pick up an unfortunate habit (humans are said to be inclined to this habit), it can also be harmful: as well as causing direct harm, like infection and preventing growth, eventually – the friction caused by sanding your nails against your teeth slowly grind away the enamel and make your gums more vulnerable.
Teeth Aren't For Cracking Nuts; They're for Chewing Them.
Using your teeth to open nuts, pecans, or other types of food is a dangerous habit. Your teeth can chip and crack very easily. This can lead to an unsightly appearance, tooth pain that won't disappear, and even tooth loss.
Teeth Are Not Good for Opening Bottles
A bottle opener can help when you can't find a corkscrew or simply don't have one. But if you're thinking of opening a beer with your teeth, you may want to think again. It looks cool, but it can cause tooth enamel damage. Even if it doesn't take off any of your pearly whites, the edge of the bottle might slice a condition called angular cheilitis – this refers to an infection that forms at the corners of a person's mouth from repeatedly getting cut by metal. It may even cause painful sores usually found on the cheeks and under the lips.
Don't Use Teeth as a Third Hand.
The mouth gets a lot of use throughout the day. We talk, eat, and drink with it. So maybe you didn't think about using your mouth for anything other than talking or food. After all, it's not like you'd stick a nail in there to keep from dropping your screwdriver or sew with a needle without thread unless, of course, you don't have any hands. But 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 do.
Make Sure You Only Use Your Teeth for Their Intended Purposes
Fractured and cracked teeth are the third-highest cause of tooth loss, after gum disease and cavities. A tooth can be cracked or fractured in a fall or by improper chewing. When the enamel breaks, exposing the dentin underneath it, it becomes susceptible to decay — and once that happens, the tooth is lost.
Another intended use of teeth is smiling, which we love to see!