With the New Year approaching, it’s a great time to start the year off with a healthy smile. As the holiday season can cause us to get off track from our normal routine, including our dental hygiene, it’s important to get back on track to ensure health teeth all year long. Here are our tips for your new year resolution to maintain your oral health.
Here are a few resolutions to help you maintain a healthy smile in 2019!
1. Commit to Your Daily Oral Hygiene Routine
Everyone should be brushing and flossing twice a day. In fact, assessing how you are brushing your teeth is also important – make sure you are brushing right by placing the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle towards your gums and gently brushing all areas of your teeth, including the outer, inner and chewing surfaces. Furthermore, as you’re flossing you want to wrap the floss around each tooth instead of going straight up and down.
2. Drink more water
Drinking plenty of water will keep you hydrated and has many other health benefits. How much water you need to drink may vary for each person and many factors and affect how much water you need to drink. Thus, it is commonly recommended to drink eight 8-ounce glasses each day as water helps flush out food debris and bacteria left on your teeth. As a result, this can decrease your risk of cavities and tooth decay.
3. Quit Smoking
Smoking is not only bad for your overall health, but it’s bad for your dental health. Moreover, risk of gum disease and other serious dental concerns can increase for those who smoke, it’s crucial to begin the process of quitting smoking as early as possible.
4. Maintain a healthy Diet
Having a healthy diet is beneficial to our overall health and our teeth and gums. Therefore, avoiding foods high in sugars and acidity will help keep your teeth healthier by minimizing cavities and erosion. For example, some foods that cause erosion are citrus fruits, energy drinks and soft drinks.
5.Regular Dental Visits
Regular hygiene visits and dental exams are essential to maintaining your oral health. Because regular cleanings will allow us to assess the health of your gums and teeth. Furthermore, regular dental exams can also help detect any dental concerns early so they can be treated conservatively before they need extensive work like root canals and crowns.
Be sure to start of 2019 with the right oral routine to keep your teeth healthy all year long. Schedule an appointment with us today if it’s time for your check up!