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Unorthodox Use of Teeth Could Lead to Dental Implant Treatment

Monday November 11th, 2019, Billy Rooney

Most of us have done it and many people do it regularly, even though we know we really shouldn’t – yes, I am talking about using our precious teeth for obscure purposes. Doing so is a risk, as if it goes wrong, you are in danger of losing a tooth. A visit to see our professional implantologists, to receive dental implant treatment, may be required as the solution.

Which Unusual Uses May Lead to Dental Implant Treatment?

A recent study for National Smile Month, conducted by the Oral Health Foundation, in conjunction with Philips, has found that the overwhelming majority of us use our teeth for unusual purposes. According to the survey, near enough two in three participants (65%) said that they often use their teeth to do things besides eating. 

If you find yourself doing any of these things, just consider the implications on your oral health. If your teeth are already showing signs of damage from any of the following, our dental implant treatment will rectify the issues.

Here is a breakdown of the most common tasks we use our teeth for and the amount of survey participants who admitted to doing them:

1. Tearing a piece of sellotape – over four in ten, 41% to be precise, of people said that they do this whenever the use sellotape.
2. Just over 26% of people admitted that they bite their nails.
3. The total percentage of people who said they carry items in their mouth when their hands are full was 22% – an inadvertent knock when doing so could easily lead to dental implant treatment.
4. 20% of people revealed that they use their teeth to take tags out of items such as clothing.
5. Those who found themselves chewing pens or pencils came in at 16%.
6. 9% of those surveyed said they occasionally use their teeth to open bottles!
7. Lastly, 4% said they do up or take down a zip with their mouth.

Lost a tooth through any of the tasks mentioned above? Get in touch with our team, lead by Dr Tom Donnelly, to arrange a dental implant consultation today.

Dental Professionals Warn Against These Uses

The dental professionals at The Implant Studio, providers of dental implants Oxfordshire, suggest that we shouldn’t be using our teeth for such uses. Some more so than others. Opening a glass bottle cap with your teeth is a big no-no, considering the risk involved in chipping or losing your teeth completely! 

Like our providers of dental implants Oxfordshire, Chief Executive of the Oral Health Foundation – Dr Nigel Carter OBE – insists that your teeth should only be used for more natural occurrences. He says, “Anything from opening bottles to chewing foreign objects can damage existing dental work or cause our teeth to crack.

“There are also examples of teeth shifting out of place, chipping, and in some cases breaking, due to the pressure and strain. Accidents are also more likely to happen which could result in invasive and expensive emergency dental work. We should stick to using our teeth for what they were designed to do – chewing our food so that its more easily digestible.”

A Dental Implant Consultation with The Implant Studio

If you are suffering from singular or multiple tooth loss, no matter if it as a result of regularly doing one of the above or for any other reason, get in touch with our team today. They’ll arrange a dental implant consultation with our experts, who’ll assess your suitability and outline all necessary steps that should be taken to restore your full set of teeth. Book an appointment if you require a cost effective and lasting solution to tooth loss in our dental implant treatment.