With a new year come new resolutions, If you haven’t made one, we suggest an easy resolution that you can be sure to keep and one that will help you be healthier and more confident. There’s no more life-changing impact than maintaining your dental health. And the best way to ensure this is to avoid creating issues in the first place.
The New Year is a fantastic time to commit to making positive changes in your life. If you integrate changes into your schedule. In time, you’ll develop a behavior and routine. By enhancing your oral care routine, avoiding harmful behaviors, and making balanced dietary choices, you’ll be making a huge impact on your long-term dental health.
Here are few suggestions to add to your routine this year (if you haven’t already):
Improve Oral Hygiene at Home
Proper dental care is easier than you may imagine because the simple choices you make can cause profound changes to your oral health. Get in the habit of brushing your teeth when you wake up in the morning and just before bed. If you already do this, then try to make your dental resolution to brush after every meal! Also, don’t forget to floss! Even just making your resolution to floss once a day can help the overall health of your teeth and gums!
To practice a proper oral care routine, you should:
- Gently brush for two minutes twice a day using a soft-bristled toothbrush to avoid damaging your enamel.
- When using a toothbrush, hold it at a 45-degree angle to your gumline and clean each surface of your teeth.
- Use a toothpaste with fluoride to help keep your teeth healthy.
- Thoroughly clean between your teeth once a day. You can use a flossing device, floss, or other—whatever you feel most comfortable using!
- Rinse using mouthwash or an antiseptic mouth rinse after brushing.
Practicing your oral care routine twice a day will have a profound effect on your mouth’s health.
Change Your Diet
Your diet is crucial when it comes to keeping your smile in top shape. What you eat can become food for bacteria in your mouth and potentially contribute to cavities, gum disease, and other conditions.
Steps to choose a healthier diet may include:
- Limit your consumption of sugary or acidic foods and beverages.
- Reduce snacking between meals.
- Rinse with water after meals or sugary drinks.
- Aim to eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and other items packed with nutrients.
- Talk to your dental or medical professional to ensure your diet includes enough vitamins and nutrients to keep your teeth strong.
Stop Bad Habits / Start Good Habits
Removing or reducing unhealthy habits can often not only help improve your oral health, but your overall health too! For those that use tobacco products, quitting them will help improve the health of your gums and keep your teeth from yellowing. Other habits you can avoid can be chewing on ice, which can crack teeth, cutting back on sugary drinks and snacks which cause cavities, and reducing staining foods and drinks that can dull the whiteness of your teeth.
Unhealthy habits to avoid or stop include:
- Using tobacco products which can stain your teeth and increase your risk of many dental problems.
- Chewing on ice which can crack teeth.
- Avoiding excessive alcohol consumption
Healthy habits to start doing include:
- Chewing sugar-free gum.
- Consuming milk or dairy products.
- Drinking water regularly, especially before bed.
Get Your Restorative Care
If you have been putting off necessary dental care, now is the time to get it done! If it’s anything from filling a cavity or getting a dental crown to replacing a missing tooth, starting the new year off with a brand-new smile will give you years’ worth of confidence.
Dr. Soto the Downey Dentist can recommend the appropriate restoration to potentially treat the underlying cause of your concern, prevent future problems, and improve your smile’s appearance at the same time!
Schedule Routine Dental Visits
The best way to stop dental issues in their tracks is to detect them early or stop them from happening in the first place. Many patients put off their dental visits or only come once every few years. This is not healthy! Regular visits to your dental professional will help ensure that no dental issues go unnoticed or worsen to something more serious.
You should visit your dentist twice a year. Dr. Soto the Downey Dentist makes that easy with our Book an Appointment form, convenient times, and reminders.
Schedule your new year appointment now.
