NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS TO A HAPPY AND HEALTHY MOUTH

Arrival of 2022 is the perfect time to make some New Year resolutions and to set yourself some targets. Now more than ever these should include looking after yourself, including your dental health. There are many that you can choose from that will make your smile healthy and beautiful. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1. Floss Every Day

You know you’re supposed to floss every day, but admit it – many of us don’t! We often hear the excuse of not having the time – it only takes a couple of minutes a day. Flossing cleans those areas between the teeth where the toothbrush doesn’t reach, reducing your risk of gum disease, tooth decay and bad breath.

2. Brush for 2 minutes twice a day

To make sure you’re brushing long enough, use a timer or an electric toothbrush with a built-in timer. Be systematic with brushing – e.g. start on the outside of the left side, brush each tooth for a couple of seconds, move to the inside of your mouth, and do the same for the lower teeth. This will take at least a couple of minutes and ensure that you don’t skip any teeth when brushing.

Follow up with brushing/scraping your tongue, as it harbours a lot of bacteria – this will help with a fresh breath.

3. Watch what you eat and drink

Acidic foods can be highly damaging to your teeth, weakening the enamel and eroding it away. These include soft drinks, sports drinks and citrus juices.

Cut down on snacking – this will protect your teeth from bacterial attack (thus decay), which happens every time you eat something.

Cut down on sugar – we all know this causes decay, so cut back on sweets and refined foods such as muesli bars and chips

4. Stay Hydrated

When your mouth dries out there isn’t enough saliva to consistently wash away bacteria from your teeth. This can increase the risk of cavities. Sip on water all day long to keep your mouth moist!

5. Quit Smoking

Smoking is one of the most dangerous habits for your teeth and for your health. It increases your risk of gum disease, oral cancer and tooth loss just to name a few.

6. Whiten Your Smile

It’s normal to experience some staining or yellowing from your eating and drinking habits. Fortunately, boosting your smile’s colour is quite simple and can be accomplished either with one visit to the dentist or from your home. Talk to us about professional teeth whitening products.

7. Cut Down on Staining Foods

If you don’t like the way stained teeth affect your appearance, teeth whitening can help, but the results don’t last as long if you’re consuming a lot of staining foods and beverages. Some of the worst culprits are coffee, tea, coke, red wine, dark beer, and berries. Try to reduce these, limit them to mealtimes, follow up with drinking water to flush them out of your mouth and use a straw so they are less likely to coat your teeth.

8. Invest In Your Smile

Your smile is the first thing that gets noticed when you speak to someone – so if you are happy to invest in nice clothes, a regular haircut or a manicure your teeth shouldn’t be left out! If you’re unhappy with the appearance or function of your smile, make 2022 the year you finally do something about it. At EDG, we offer a wide range of cosmetic and restorative treatments to help you fall in love with your smile, be it fixing a chip, replacing a single tooth or having a whole smile makeover.

9. Visit the Dentist Regularly

If you haven’t been making your regular 6-monthly dental check-ups and cleans, there’s no better time to start! This way we will help you to a healthy and beautiful smile, and if any problems arise they can be picked up and dealt with early – this will save you time, money and any unnecessary pain and discomfort in the future.

Ready to book that next appointment? Give us a call on 9531 6387 or send us an email on info@elwooddental.com.au for more info