It’s that time of year again! I love this time of year; a chance for a fresh start to do better and be better! While resolutions can start on any day, it’s hard to deny the change in the wind come January 1. Why not make this year a time of improved oral health? The following are some possibilities of resolutions to do just that.
1) Brush and Floss Daily
I know, I know, WHOA! I bet you didn’t see that one coming! While many of our patients have mastered this important habit, many haven’t. Taking five minutes every day to attend to one’s oral health will reduce all kinds of issues down the road. Brushing and flossing can help prevent cavities, gingivitis, periodontal disease, and bad breath. Effective oral homecare is one of those things that will have seemed so easy years later when we’re making dentures or planning dental implants.
2) Drink More Water
Many people don’t drink enough water, which is unfortunate because there are very few biological systems that don’t benefit from proper hydration. From a mouth standpoint, drinking more water helps flush bacteria and foodstuffs out from between the teeth. It helps refresh the mouth and reduce that tacky feeling from a dry tongue.
Bonus: If water is replacing sweetened or carbonated beverages, all the better! Reducing sodas and coffee-flavored milkshakes disguised as “coffee” also reduces the risk of cavities.
3) Check Out Your Mouth Periodically
Dermatologists recommend people do skin checks every so often so people know where their moles are and what they look like. Similarly, it’s a good idea to see what your mouth and tongue look like. You don’t need a set schedule and it doesn’t have to be formal, but checking your tongue and cheeks out once a month (say, the 1st or the first Friday morning of each month) to see if there are any changes, is always a great habit. Just being familiar with the different structures and how they look in your bathroom mirror is a great start.
Some helpful hints: 1) Most things are actually normal for your mouth, 2) Most tongues are pretty symmetric side to side, 3) Gingiva (i.e. gums) comes in a lot of different shades and may have gradations throughout, though the colors should be similar in similar parts of the mouth. When in doubt, come see us! Doubly important, if something changes, and doesn’t seem to be going away, let us take a look!
4) Add One Thing to Your Oral Hygiene Routine
As we age, our saliva tends to diminish. Saliva is a natural lubricant for the mouth. It helps flush out food and bacteria from the interdental spaces. The enzymes in saliva start the digestive process and saliva helps make food easier to swallow. Saliva also helps buffer the mouth from very acidic and very basic conditions. As saliva diminishes, so do all these helpful assets. Therefore, it’s very common for oral homecare routines to become less effective over time.
One possibility to help combat this salivary decline is to add “one more thing” to your homecare routine. If you’re already brushing, add flossing. If you do both of those, add a mouth-rinse with fluoride. Brushing and flossing at night could benefit from also brushing and flossing after breakfast. Chewing xylitol gum after lunch may be an option for you. Maybe you like to snack at night after brushing, and maybe you could reduce that or eliminate that altogether. Adding one thing may help keep you ahead of the changes that will most likely take place as you mature.
5) Wear Your Nightguard, Every Night
Night guards are amazing. They prevent wear from grinding and clenching, they help prevent loss of enamel along the gumline of teeth, and they help reduce jaw pain and tension. If you haven’t worn your night guard in a while, try it on. If it still fits and doesn’t have any holes worn through it, you’re most likely good to go. Need a new one? Either try an OTC night guard or call us and we’ll get you in for impressions for a new one.
Unfortunately, once teeth are worn away, the fix isn’t as simple as adding a little composite bonding to the ends of teeth. Often the true fix involves orthodontics and possibly full mouth rehabilitation (i.e. crowns on all your upper and/or lower teeth). Preventing tooth wear is a much easier and cost-effective solution. So, wear your night guard!
6) Get That One Thing Checked Out
Almost everyone has “That One Thing” that kiiiiinda bothers them. Maybe it doesn’t hurt, but it’s not just going away. This year, let’s get that checked out. This can be a tooth that just doesn’t feel right, a sore on your gums or tongue that seems to be lingering, extreme sensitivity in one area, or maybe it isn’t even something in your mouth. Maybe you have a mole that’s become very itchy, or a joint that is progressively getting achier. Not everything can be resolved or fixed, but having more information about one’s condition can really help relieve stress. Often, a plan and a path forward can be established to reduce or eliminate “That One Thing. “
And finally, resolutions are not an all-or-nothing proposition. Okay, you missed a day of flossing, don’t miss two! Maybe work got really stressful and you drank a Jumbo Mocha Frap-a-Macchiato instead of water, tomorrow is a new day and a new chance to pick a better option. Like I said, resolutions can start on any day, even if you blow it on January 1 and start again on January 2. Anything you can do for your teeth and oral health today will benefit you tomorrow and years to come!
