A New Year means another birthday, another favorite holiday and another chance to make that perfect smile a reality!
A New Year is also a time to reflect on past events and look towards the future with positive changes in mind – especially when it comes to overall health. We normally pay attention to the health of our bodies, which is fine, but we easily overlook that our teeth are also a fundamental part of our overall health.
Regular visits to the dentist are great for catching certain conditions in their early stages or even before they present themselves. Conditions like oral cancer or gum abscess can be detected and addressed correctly if taken care of by a dental health professional as soon as possible.
Daily care is most crucial to keeping healthy teeth and gums. Regular daily brushing is a great start! People who brush twice a day tend to have much better oral health as they are knocking out bad bacteria and plaque more often but there is another opportunity to take it one step further!
Some foods and beverages are high in damaging elements – sugar and acid. Sugar and acid are very common in most food items available and are, unfortunately, damaging to dental and oral health. Acid can stain teeth and make them appear yellow while also eroding protective layers of enamel and exposing sensitive parts of the tooth. Sugar can aid the growth of bacteria that can cause bad breath, tooth decay and even gingivitis. A good way to combat these effects is by chewing gum approved by the ADA, the American Dental Association. Another way is to brush after consuming high sugar or high acid foods and drinks.
Increasing calcium intake is a great way to keep teeth healthy and strong. Teeth are bones, plain and simple and thus require all the things bones need to keep themselves doing their best. Consuming the appropriate amount of calcium for maintaining bone (or tooth) strength can help reduce instances of tooth decay, chipped teeth and teeth falling out from being too weak.
Having a straight smile can be attractive and trust worthy but not only that! Crooked teeth can make it harder to chew food and may result in jaw problems later on. Crooked teeth are also harder to brush properly and can be a place for bacteria and plaque to hide away and do more damage.
If a great smile is on the list of New Year Resolutions, getting braces or invisalign will be a great step forward. New years are a great chance to start a new routine with a new, better smile!
