If you find yourself out unable to brush or floss, try reaching for sugar-free gum.

"Chewing sugarless gum is good because the mechanical action of chewing gum can remove plaque from the surfaces of the teeth," says Lituchy. But make sure not to overdo it: Too much chewing, Lituchy warns, can aggravate the muscles by your temporomandibular joint.

But how much is too much? "The recommended time varies from person to person," says Lituchy. "If you are noticing any soreness at all in the muscles or joint area, then you are chewing too much. Everyone's threshold is different."

Also make sure that you're not making the mistake of popping a piece of sugar-packed gum, since bacteria will convert that sugar into tooth-eroding acids. Go ahead and chew that over (sorry, we had to).

Your fruit smoothies are chock-full of vitamins -- as well as sugar and acid. When you combine multiple fruits into a single drink, you get way more sugar than you would if you were to eat fruit individually.

"Juices can have more sugar than soda," says Lituchy. "Bacteria convert the sugar to acid, which can wear down the enamel and cause cavities." That's not-so-sweet news for folks who coat their teeth with sugar-heavy smoothies on a daily basis.

To lessen the damage, Lituchy suggests drinking smoothies through straws, which help funnel sugars away from the surface of the teeth, and consuming them quickly so that you're not continually bathing teeth in sugar. He also advises diluting juices by adding water.

And because the acid in fruit can cause a temporary softening of the enamel, Lituchy says you should wait 45 minutes after consuming your smoothie to brush your teeth. Otherwise, you risk damaging the enamel while it's in a vulnerable state.

This rule holds true when you consume other things that are high in acidity (think lemons and limes) or that are high in sugar, like soda.

You wouldn't chew on a rock, right? So, why chew on something that's almost as hard as one? Breaking down a cube of ice requires a lot of pressure, which can wear down enamel and even cause it to chip. Not so cool, right?