It’s the New Year! A time to make resolutions to better ourselves. We all make resolutions to better ourselves through exercise, or to forsake bad habits or to become more fiscally responsible. How many of us resolve to improve our oral hygiene? Not enough people think to do it, and yet it’s one of the best possible things you could do to better your future.
At Imagine Dental, we’ve made it our resolution to help all our clients achieve the best possible oral hygiene. A healthy mouth is an essential part of living a healthy life. Don’t take yours for granted! Resolve to improve your oral hygiene in 2016 by following these four steps.
Brush and Floss Everyday
The key to good dental health is good habits. You should be brushing and flossing at least twice a day every day. Change out your brushes every few months to keep bacteria from building up on them. Make sure that you devote the right amount of time to cleaning your teeth: Brushing for a mere twenty seconds won’t cut it. Brush for two minutes straight and make sure you get your tongue too! A lot of bacteria can end up on your tongue: Keeping it clean by brushing it regularly will not only help keep your mouth germ-free, it will also improve your breath!
Garbage In, Garbage Out
One of the biggest factors affecting your oral health is your diet. What you eat and drink can have a major impact on your teeth. If you eat a lot of foods that are sugary or have a high acidic content, you are at risk for eroding your enamel. Drinks like black tea, coffee and red wine can stain your teeth. Hard candies can chip and crack your teeth. Stringy foods could get stuck between your teeth and attract germs to feast on them, causing bacteria and plaque to build up in your mouth.
Satisfy your sweet tooth by trading in your candies and cakes for fruits and sugar-free gum. Instead of sodas and alcohol, drink lots and lots of water to stay well-hydrated. Avoid hard or abrasive foods that could damage your teeth, and if you do eat things that could damage your tooth, chew or suck on them carefully and deliberately to keep from hurting yourself.
Say Goodbye to Bad Habits
It isn’t just a matter of being diligent with your dental hygiene and eating better. If you want to improve your oral hygiene, you need to let go of bad habits that are chipping away at your teeth. If you’re a smoker, it doesn’t matter how much you brush or floss: All that nicotine and tobacco WILL stain your teeth, cause bacteria to build up in your mouth and damage your gums. And if you drink regularly, prepare to deal with the fact that that affects your oral hygiene too.
Live a healthier life by quitting your smoking habit and eliminating or seriously reducing your alcohol intake. If you do keep drinking, remember to supplement your alcohol intake with LOTS of water. Hydration is essential for good dental health! If you’re dehydrated, your body produces less saliva. Saliva helps keep your mouth clean and washes out germs building up on your teeth and gum, so it’s important to make sure that you’re producing a regular amount of it.
Get Regular Check-Ups
Taking the initiative on the home-front is a great step forward. However, if you want to really stay on top of your dental health you’ll want to get regular check-ups. Seeing a dentist on a regular basis means that you’ll have a keen and close eye looking at your teeth who can spot any potential problems as they develop. When it comes to dental problems, the sooner you deal with them the better. You want to nip them in the bud before they develop into something that requires extensive and potentially costly work.
Oral Hygiene Questions?
Act on your resolution by scheduling an appointment at Imagine Dental today! Give us a call at 480-893-7733.
