Happy New Year! Here Are 5 Dental Care Resolutions You Should Make

The New Year is a time when many people decide to make positive healthy changes in their lives. While many people focus on losing weight, making advances in their careers, or becoming kinder people, many of us neglect to make a change in an area of our life most in need of improvement.

Creating new habits regarding your dental health can positively impact your health, pocketbook and self concept.

The impact can be great, but the changes require very little effort.

Here are 5 simple resolutions you can make to improve the health of your teeth: 

1. Schedule your next 6 month dental cleaning and checkup with your dentist.

Most of us should be going to see our dentist and getting our teeth cleaned every 6 months.

This is important because it you only go once a year, you are allowing tartar to build up along your teeth. The thicker the tartar, the more bacteria and acids you have potentially causing cavities, gum disease and other systemic problems.

When a dental hygienist cleans your teeth, he or she is able to remove that build up and help your teeth maintain a strong coat of enamel.

The dental hygienist is also able to alert the doctor as to problem areas that either need to be fixed or watched closely.

Like any other problem, the longer an issue remains untreated, the worse the issue will become.
 

2. Begin flossing your teeth every evening before you go to bed.

While flossing seems like an impossibly difficult, lengthy process for many people to put into practice, the simple consistent act of flossing daily does your teeth a lot of good.

It can be done in as little as 2 minutes and can save you pain, money and more serious problems.

There is nothing quite as effective as using a simple piece of floss to remove the particles of food that sneak down between your teeth and get pressed up against your gums and teeth.

3. Brush your teeth at least twice daily for at least 3 full minutes.

Most people brush their teeth regularly, but most do not brush long enough.

In order to adequately clean the surface of each tooth and get each and every last tooth, set a timer for 3 minutes.

4. Drink a sufficient amount of water daily.

The best way to ensure you are drinking a sufficient amount of water is to take your body weight and divide it in half.

That number in ounces is how much water you should be drinking daily.

Drinking water after you eat a meal will help remove some of the food particles, sugars and acids in the foods from your mouth.

5. Minimize your candy intake.

Sugar is just not good for your teeth. Having a piece of candy every once in a while is alright, but eating sticky, gummy candies on a daily basis is putting your teeth at risk.

The sugar in candy, sits against your teeth and invites bacteria to feed on it. The bacteria then leave an acidic film behind that erodes your enamel.

Sugar is just food for the bacteria.

Follow these 5 simple resolutions and you will give your dental health the best gift of all!