04 November 2025
Small everyday habits can silently damage your teeth and gums. Here's how to fix the most common ones.
Small everyday habits can silently damage your teeth over time. Here are the top five mistakes we see in the clinic — and how to correct them.
1. Brushing too hard. Soft bristles and gentle circular motions clean better and don't wear down your enamel or gums.
2. Skipping floss. A toothbrush cleans only 60% of tooth surfaces — floss reaches the rest.
3. Chewing ice, pens or nails. This microscopically cracks enamel and can fracture fillings.
4. Using teeth as tools to open packages or bite thread. It's a fast route to a chipped tooth.
5. Skipping check-ups. Two visits a year catch problems while they're still small (and cheap) to fix.
