Top Ten Ways to Destroy Your Smile and Ruin Your Teeth

Top ten ways a person can quickly ruin their smile and cause severe oral medical problems.

1. Leukoplakia is a disease in which thick, white patches form on the inside of your cheeks, gums, tongue and roof of mouth. Leukoplakia sometimes exhibits hard flat areas, but is often irregular in nature. Tobacco is considered one of the main causes of the disease, however not all is known about this condition. Leukoplakia is normally benign, however sometimes leukoplakia can be one of the first symptoms of developing oral cancer. Leukoplakia is very hard to get rid of, it can't be just scraped off and cessation of smoking is one of the first steps that a person should take after being diagnosed with leukoplakia.

2. Not brushing your teeth is not just bad hygiene but can result in many oral diseases including deterioration of gums and teeth. Bad oral hygiene and not maintaining good care of your teeth often results in loss of teeth, bleeding gums, broken teeth, bad breath, discoloration of teeth, and will over time result in extreme pain once the teeth have cavities and breakage problems that expose the nerve. Not brushing your teeth will often lead to many other oral problems and can eventually cause abscess problems that can lead to blood poisoning issues. Blood poisoning can lead to death if not properly treated.

3. TMJ syndrome is a condition that is caused by bruxism, grinding of the teeth, clenching of the teeth. TMJ syndrome can cause pain in the ears, jaw and in severe cases feel like you have lock jaw or your nerves in the teeth are exposed. TMJ should be diagnosed by a dentist or physician and can cause deviation of the jaw when the mouth is opened wide. The teeth usually exhibit extreme wear and the person may not even be aware that they grind their teeth at night. However with a mouth guard and education TMJ can be treated but may never be cured.

4. Smoking is one of the number one causes of ruining a beautiful smile. Smoking causes yellowing of the teeth and will eventually over time contribute to many other medical conditions. Many people see no reason to stop smoking, especially if they have been smoking for a long time. However smoking is not only the leading cause in heart disease and may lead to many cancers, but smoking discolors the teeth and attributes to bad breath and many oral issues.

5. When someone loses their teeth by decay or other dental problems the first treatment is usually placing a partial or dentures in place of the missing teeth. However some people can not get use to wearing dentures or may choose to over time go without the partial or dentures due to comfort issues. However this causes a shift of the jaw line and can cause a person to be deformed. Thereby causing their smile to be effected for lack of filling the space left by the missing teeth. This is why some people without their teeth start to have a sunken look to the face around the mouth region.

6. Decayed teeth turn black and usually result in a mouth odor. Decaying teeth are terrible however for your overall health. They can result in abscess if not properly treated and cared for causing blood poisoning issues and severe blood poisoning if not properly treated can lead to death. A person with decaying teeth that have not been properly removed will eventually be sick from the infection that is breeding within their mouth. This can result in fever, swelling, pain and many other symptoms.

7. Broken teeth caused by chipping or breakage of weakened teeth can ruin a person's smile quickly. Even a small chip can cause a person to be depressed and self conscious about their appearance. Chips and other breakage can be fixed by a dentist and should be in order to protect the teeth from infection and disease. Even a small chip can eventually lead to a cavity due to food particles and sugars that get trapped without proper dental care.

8. Chewing tobacco is another tobacco product that can severely effect the look of your smile. Chewing tobacco causes your gums and oral tissues to be exposed to tobacco in even a more concentrated form than that of smoking. Smoking is taken in more directly effecting the lungs and airway passages however chewing tobacco can sit in the between the cheeks and gums decaying the oral tissues. Chewing tobacco much like smoking can cause cancer and over long term can cause decay to teeth, bad breath and oral infections.

9. Crooked teeth if not properly treated can ruin a person smile and cause depression and a person to be severely self conscious. Many times due to financial reasons people will go without proper dental care for crooked teeth such as braces and this can not only effect a person's smile but can cause the teeth to be pushed out, causing the bite to be not properly aligned. Overbites and protrusion of teeth can cause injury to cheeks and tongue and in severe cases problems with proper closure of mouth.

10. Gum decay can lead to teeth decay and many oral conditions such as bad breath and abscesses. Gum disease causes the gums to erode and recede not covering the roots of the teeth. In severe cases the teeth may become loose and pain usually starts once the teeth give way to the gums receding.

Everyone that wants to maintain a beautiful smile should make every effort to maintain proper dental care at all times. The expense to take care of your smile far outweighs the cost of dental care after the problems begin. Once the damage is done it is done and ultimately improper dental care and oral care can lead to a life threatening situation.

References for this article include: www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20398266,00.html
www.thomasjenglishdds.com/fitness/_10ways.htm
health.msn.com/health-topics/oral-care/articlepage.aspx