January marks the start of a New Year! For many people, it feels like a fresh new start and a great chance to focus on habits and behaviors that we may want to change for the better.
This year, be sure to add improving your oral health to the top of your list of resolutions. Caring for your gums, teeth, and mouth properly is simple. Making the following changes will go a long way to keep your smile healthy and beautiful for the rest of this year … and many, many more to come!
Brush Better … and Floss Too!
Protecting our oral health starts with healthy daily habits. Most people brush their teeth twice a day, but very few actually do it for the recommended two minutes. To ensure you are brushing for long enough, try using a timer or sing a thirty second song in your head four times while you brush – one for each quadrant of your mouth. Or better yet, take your brushing experience to the next level by buying an electric toothbrush with a built-in timer! According to the Mayo Clinic, studies show that brushing with an electric toothbrush is more effective at removing plaque. Flossing once a day is another important habit for keeping your teeth and gums healthy, since it removes food particles and plaque from in between your teeth before they can cause decay or infection. To help you remember to floss each day, try doing so at the same time that you do something else every day, such as when you change into pajamas before bedtime.
Sip Smarter
Making smart decisions about what beverages you drink can make a big impact on the health and appearance of your smile. Drinks that are highly acidic or contain a lot of sugar can cause damage to your teeth when consumed on a regular basis. Sports drinks, soda, and some fruit juices are both sugary and acidic and therefore especially bad for your oral health. Try to limit your consumption or avoid them all together. Similarly, drinking certain beverages – including coffee, tea, and red wine – too frequently can stain your teeth over time. Drink water the majority of the time to protect your smile. Drinking lots of water will also ensure you stay hydrated. This has the added benefit of upping your body’s production of saliva, which rinses away excess bacteria from building up in the mouth.
Be Choosy About What You Chew
Making a resolution to clean up your diet can be an effective way to lose weight as well as protect your smile. Cutting back on snacking will reduce your overall calorie intake, and it will also decrease the amount of food available for the bacteria in your mouth to turn into cavity-causing acid and plaque. If you do feel hungry between meals, stick to tooth-friendly foods, such as calcium rich cheese or yogurt and crunchy fresh fruits and veggies, like carrots and apples. Calcium helps to keep your bones – including our teeth – strong, and munching on fresh produce helps to scrub your teeth clean. If you can’t brush your teeth after each meal or snack you eat, be sure to take a few sips of water and swish them around your mouth to rinse away residual food particles.
Schedule Your Next Dental Visit
According to the ADA, “regular dental visits are important because they can help spot dental health problems early on when treatment is likely to be simpler and more affordable. They also help prevent many problems from developing in the first place.” Even if you aren’t due for a dental cleaning and checkup yet, calling to schedule your annual appointments now will ensure they get on your calendar. Studies show that the act of putting something on the calendar drastically increases the chances that an event or action will actually happen.
At Roselle Park Dental & Implants, we want to help you improve your oral health in 2022! Schedule your next appointment now – call (908) 998-4698 or visit us online: www.roselleparkdental.com.
Author: Sara Magnola Taner is an online marketing and communications specialist – with a website development and editorial background – who has 15 years of experience creating and editing clear, compelling content on diverse topics across a wide range of mediums.