By Vanessa Chalmers Health Reporter For Mailonline
Published: 12:25 BST, 6 June 2019 | Updated: 12:27 BST, 6 June 2019
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From tearing off Sellotape to opening bottles, dentists have revealed the alternative ways British people use their teeth.
Two in three people frequently use their nashers to perform tasks such as ripping out clothes tags or doing up zips.
The Oral Health Foundation, who conducted the survey, has warned against using our teeth for anything other than eating.
Chipping, breaking or destroying existing dental work could be the result, dentists said, and could land you with a hefty bill.
Dentists have revealed the alternative ways British people use their teeth
Two in three people frequently use our nashers to perform tasks other than eating
The most common misuse for our teeth is tearing Sellotape – more than four-in-ten (41 per cent) of us admit to doing this regularly.
People often use their mouths to carry things when their hands are full, with 22 per cent admitting to doing so.
Other popular uses include taking tags out of clothing (20 per cent) chewing pens and pencils (16 per cent) and biting nails (26 per cent).
Some of the more bizarre uses are doing up zips (four per cent), opening bottles (nine per cent) as well as opening hair grips and packets.
Chipping, breaking or destroying existing dental work could are the result, dentists said, and could land you with a hefty bill
Your teeth vary in shape and size to allow the teeth to do many different jobs.
Teeth help us to chew and digest food, talk, and give our face its shape.
Incisors: At the front of the mouth are eight thin, straight teeth called incisors – four at the top and four at the bottom. These are used for biting into food as well as for pronouncing words.
Canines: There are four canines - on each side of the upper and lower incisors is a single canine tooth. They cut or shear food and support the lips. Another function of the canines is to help guide all the teeth into place when the upper and lower jaw come together.
Premolars: Behind the canines are the premolars which have a flattened top and chew food. Dentists call them the bicuspids. There are eight premolars in an adult's mouth - four on the top and four on the bottom.
Molars: Next to the premolars are the molars. These are your widest, flattest teeth, and there are 12 altogether - six in the upper jaw and six in the lower. The American Dental Association (ADA) depicts wisdom teeth as the four molars at the back of both the lower and upper jaws, and they're the last to appear during adulthood. They are also used for chewing.
There are 32 teeth in an adult mouth but sometimes more develop.
Dr Nigel Carter OBE, chief executive of the Oral Health Foundation said that while it may seem trivial, using our teeth as tools poses a considerable risk to our oral health.
He said: 'Anything from opening
