The new year provides the perfect time to create New Year’s resolutions to better ourselves. One of the best ways to welcome the new year is with a bright smile. To help you achieve your new year’s resolutions for dental health, you’d need the help of a reliable dentist, who can take care of your teeth throughout the year, so that you can take on any challenge life may bring with a beaming smile.
The mouth is among the most important parts of the human body. This is where the food enters and is digested into fine pieces so that the rest of the digestive system can turn it into energy. Medical professionals often say that the mouth reflects the body’s general health. This is true most of the time.
Because our mouths do a ton of work daily, we need to give it the care it deserves starting with good dental hygiene, nutrition, and regular visits to our dentist. While fulfilling resolutions may not be an easy feat, we rounded up some ways to help you stick to your dental health goals to help you conquer the year with that flawless smile. Let’s get to know some of the New Year’s resolutions for dental health.
How to Have a Healthier Mouth
Like any other part of the body, the mouth needs proper hygiene and maintenance. However, we tend to undermine the importance of good dental health by not minding the substances on the food we eat and not entirely practicing proper hygiene. This new year, learn how to achieve good oral health by doing these practices to fulfill your New Year’s resolution of having a healthier mouth.
1. Practice brushing for 2 minutes.
The simplest solution to keeping your teeth in good condition is to brush them regularly. However, are you doing it properly? Statistics show that most Americans brush their teeth for only a minute or less.
Most people are not aware that the correct way of brushing the teeth should reach 2 minutes. This allows beneficial chemicals like fluoride to coat each teeth and for the brush to clean each crevice thoroughly.
Using electric brushes with built-in timers can help you ensure that you reach 2 minutes. Set a timer or play your favorite song that runs for 2 minutes to aid you. Do this every day and you can be sure that you will have a healthy mouth throughout the year.
2. Add a flossing routine.
Even though dental floss is a common product found in drugstores or in supermarkets, flossing is still not a widely practiced oral routine. To achieve a healthy mouth, add flossing to your New Year’s resolutions for dental health. The benefits of regularly flossing teeth prevents the bacteria on the teeth from turning into plaque. Regular flossing can also prevent bad breath and gum disease like gingivitis.
You can floss your teeth at any time of the day. Floss once a day with twice a day brushing to better take care of your pearly whites and achieve a healthier mouth.
3. Practice mindful eating.
Knowing the best and worst foods for your teeth can help us practice mindful eating to achieve good oral health.
Eating fruits and vegetables, fluoride-rich foods, dairy products, and drinking green or black tea promotes good oral health. This is because they get saliva flowing in our mouth. Saliva contains calcium which should circulate in our mouth to help maintain the health of our teeth. They also help prevent bacteria and plaque buildup. Thus, we keep our healthy smiles.
However, whenever we drink caffeine-rich beverages, sticky sweets and chewy candies, starchy foods, carbonated drinks, crackers, and cirtus fruit, we do our teeth disservice. These foods contain refined sugar, phosphoric acids, and citric acids, which leave residue on our teeth and cause not only plaque buildup but damage to the enamel of our teeth.
4. Stop smoking.
Smoking is not only a major health threat to the respiratory system but also to a healthy mouth and teeth. Chain smokers tend to have yellowish teeth because of the tobacco stain. Aside from the conspicuous stains on the teeth, smokers are at risk for gum infections because smoking slows down the natural process of healing.
Bad breath is also a common occurrence for people who are active smokers. The simplest solution – but probably the most challenging – is to quit smoking altogether.
5. Be mindful of staining foods.
Certain foods and beverages can discolor the teeth when frequently ingested. For instance, caffeine-rich beverages like tea, coffee, and soda can easily stain your teeth. Red wine, berries, chocolates, and squid can greatly contribute to the discoloration of the teeth.
Refrain or minimize eating the given examples. It will also be helpful if you become more mindful of the food intake. As much as possible, eat healthy foods, drink plenty of water, and cut junk foods.
6. Invest in a tongue scraper.
It goes without saying that the tongue is as important as the teeth. Make sure to clean your tongue as well after brushing because debris, bacteria, and dead cells tend to buildup inside our mouth over time. Tongue scrapers act like a vacuum cleaner for our mouth. Whenever we scrape our tongue, we help improve our sense of taste and the overall appearance of our tongue. A tongue scraper also helps remove bacteria and extra particles, especially the ones that cause bad breath.
Say hello to a healthy mouth and fresh breath with the help of a tongue scraper. Nowadays, most toothbrush models have a built-in tongue scraper at the back of the bristles for easy brushing.
7. Consider straightening your teeth.
If you have misaligned or crooked teeth, you might want to finally consider getting braces or Invisalign this New Year to give your teeth the makeover it needs.
Misaligned teeth create the perfect niche for bacteria to grow because they are more difficult to brush and floss. When bacteria grows, plaque and tartar buildup which causes cavities and gum disease.
Having aligned teeth can help relieve headaches, neck, and jaw pain associated with the pressure caused by misaligned teeth. Moreover, having straight teeth builds the confidence you need to flash that perfect winning smile.
8. Stay hydrated.
Bottoms-up to a glass of water! A healthy mouth can be easily achieved with regular water intake. This will not only hydrate the mouth but also help remove particles from the teeth.
Bacteria builds up faster when the mouth is dry. That is why it is highly important to drink 8 glasses of water every day. Staying hydrated is a good addition to your New Year’s resolution because it can lessen the risk of gum infections and tooth decay.
9. Visit a dentist regularly.
Consultations with a dentist can give you an idea regarding the general health of your mouth. A dentist can give you tips on how to have a healthier mouth.
In cases of plaque buildup and the presence of cavities, the dentist can do the usual procedures to get your teeth back to their pristine condition. Make it a habit to visit your dentist regularly for check-ups and maintenance.
Tips to Maintain Your New Year’s Resolutions
Maintaining a list of New Year’s Resolutions is no easy task. It will take dedication and discipline in order to accomplish everything. However, when it comes to having a healthy mouth, your resolutions should be stress-free. Here are the ways you can commit easily to your resolutions for better dental health:
1. Create realistic goals.
Creating a realistic schedule for brushing your teeth and visiting the dentist can encourage you to build that routine slowly. It can be as simple as brushing after every meal or not forgetting to floss.The most important goal is to have a healthier mouth and a healthier body.
2. Reward yourself.
Nothing can go wrong with a little positive reinforcement. Reward yourself after successfully doing your dental resolutions by watching your favorite TV show during a hectic work week or just doing what makes you happy. A little encouragement can go a long way.
3. Get a support system.
Having a good support system who’s aware of your goals can, in actuality, help you stick to your resolutions to help you reach your objectives. We all need that family member, friend, buddy, or significant other to remind us of our goals constantly, give us a pat on the back, and cheer on to help us reach the finish line.
4. Keep trying.
When you forget to floss your teeth for one day, be kind to yourself. A setback doesn’t mean the end of your New Year’s resolutions. Learn from your slip up and make sure to put yourself back on track to fulfilling your resolutions. When you constantly do a certain act, it turns into a habit which eventually becomes natural for you to do.
Century Dental Can Help You Fulfill Your New Year’s Resolution Of A Healthier Mouth
Make your New year’s resolutions for dental health a reality by visiting a reliable dentist in South Pasadena, FL, Century Dental. Our team of experts can help you achieve that winning smile with our list of services from general checkups and maintenance to implant surgery. You’re sure to conquer the year right with Century Dentist. Give us a call now!
