Eating more fruits and eating fewer sweets should be a part of your dental Health New Year’s resolutions
2020 is here, which means that you probably have New Year’s resolutions that you’re trying to achieve. One of these resolutions should be to improve your dental health. Having a healthy smile should be your goal, all-year-round! However, we’d like to motivate you and challenge you. Here are some dental health resolutions that should be on your list!
Eat A Lot of Vegetables and Fruits
Eating vegetables and fruits (that aren’t acidic) is one of the best things that you can do for your dental and overall health. When eating healthy isn’t a part of your lifestyle, it makes you more susceptible to common dental diseases such as gum disease. Antioxidants found in vegetables, fruits, nuts, and legumes help your body to fight inflammation and bacteria and protect your enamel and gums. Apples, carrots, and celery, in particular, should be a part of your diet if you want to clean plaque from your teeth. These items have a slightly abrasive characteristic that helps to remove bacterial build-up on our teeth.
Quit Smoking
Your dental health and life, in general, can change in many positive ways if you can knock your smoking habit! Tobacco harms the mouth in many ways causing tooth discoloration, gum disease, and cavities. More important and damaging effects include throat, lung, and oral cancer. The smoke from these products contains a complex mixture of chemicals produced due to the burning of tobacco additives. Tobacco smoke consists of more than 7,000 chemicals. Over 70 of them are carcinogens that cause cancer. Some of these substances cause heart and lung diseases, too, and all of them can be deadly. Smokeless tobacco is also damaging to your dental health and has been shown to cause oral cancer.
Brush Your Teeth at Night
Most people know that brushing your teeth and flossing are two simple yet effective ways to maintain a healthy smile. However, remembering to (or caring to) brush your teeth at night is vital. After a long workday and other responsibilities, it’s easy to put brushing your teeth at night on the back burner. But think about all of the food and bacteria that sit on your teeth and in your mouth all day long. The thought isn’t too appealing.
Flossing often gets ignored, but floss goes where a toothbrush can’t. It helps to remove bacteria from all of the crevices that are too small for a toothbrush to reach. Our toothbrush can only access roughly 65% of our tooth structure. This means that 35% remains covered in bacteria and food debris. Floss is the gold standard for cleaning the remaining areas between our teeth that a brush cannot access. We always want to aim for 100%! Rinsing with an antiseptic mouthwash after flossing will do wonders for your breath and dental health overall.
Regularly See a Top Dentist
How many benefits are there to seeing a top dentist regularly? Too many to name! How much can it hurt you when you don’t see a top dentist? A lot! So, make sure that proper dental health is on your New Year’s resolutions list for 2020.
Make it a New Year’s Resolution to Come to Smile Designs of Olney for All of Your Cosmetic Procedures
For your smile makeover or any other dental needs, come to Smile Designs of Olney! Book an appointment with us. Whether you want your teeth whitened, straightened, or restored altogether, we pride ourselves in quality patient care and giving you the smile makeover that you deserve. Our small, professional staff will make you feel right at home. We service the Montgomery County regions including Olney, Laytonsville, Brookville, Silver Spring, Rockville, Columbia, Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Germantown, MD. Contact us at (301) 260-0700, visit us online, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.