Three New Year’s Resolutions For Healthier Teeth

Happy 2020 everyone!  It’s a new year! Who’s ready to make it a great one?

Have you considered which new year’s resolutions you want to commit to this year? Many people will choose to lose weight, exercise more, or eat a healthier diet.

These things are all great, but have you ever stopped to think about your oral health and how important it is to your overall well-being? Probably not.  A lot of Newport Beach, California residents don’t even know the correlation between the two. Gum disease (periodontitis) has been linked to other health problems, such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, and bacterial pneumonia. It’s also estimated that chronic periodontitis affects 47.2 percent of the adult U.S. population aged 30 years or older.

When you put that into perspective, it makes sense why you should be considering your oral health and habits when choosing your new year’s resolutions.

There are a lot of great ways to get healthier teeth and gums.  Consider the following:

1. Commit To Flossing

While regular brushing usually isn’t a problem because most people want to have good-smelling breath, many folks tend to neglect to floss their teeth. Brushing alone can’t remove all of the plaque and tartar from between your teeth.  Not flossing is the number one cause of interproximal decay (cavities between teeth), a condition that means repairing the decay will require both of the teeth to need fillings.

Traditional flossing string can be difficult to maneuver and your teeth might be too tight for flossing picks. Yet, flossing doesn’t have to be a chore.  A water flosser is an apparatus that’s much easier and faster to use than other methods. In this new year, making a commitment to flossing every day is one of the best ways to get healthier teeth and gums.

2. Alter Your Dietary Habits

Are you a healthy eater?  If not, you should consider how you can alter your dietary habits to include less sugar, and more foods that are rich in calcium.

Sugar weakens tooth enamel and prolonged exposure causes cavities. Therefore, reducing sugar will significantly lower your risk of developing tooth decay. Evaluate what you eat and drink on a regular basis to determine the amount of sugar that each item contains.  In general, soda, ice-cream, pastries, certain fruit juices, and some boxed cereal have a high sugar content.

In addition to lowering your sugar intake, you can consider consuming more calcium,which is known for producing healthy gums and strong teeth. Foods that are high in calcium include certain dairy foods, vegetables like spinach or okra, and shellfish.

3. Visit Our Dentist in Newport Beach Regularly

A lot of people think that our Newport Beach dentist office is a place that they don’t need to visit until they’re in severe pain from a toothache. The truth is, most tooth ailments can be prevented with regular dental checkups.

Typically, you’ll come to the office every six months for a professional cleaning.  Our hygienists have special instruments that can get in the hard to reach areas of your mouth to remove plaque and tartar buildup that your toothbrush left behind. As a result, your chances of developing decay in these areas is decreased.

In addition to a cleaning, we’ll take periodic digital x-rays of your teeth which to show us if there are any abnormalities occurring that we can’t see when you look in your mouth. Our dentist will examine your mouth and the images.  We do more than just look at your teeth.  Dr. Yazdan will evaluate your jaw to determine if you have TMJ disorder, and she’ll look for signs of oral cancer, among other things.

By visiting a Newport Beach dentist on a regular basis, you can prevent oral problems, and spot issues in their early stages while things can usually be reversed, or cost less to repair.

To stay on track with your regular visits, we recommend that you always schedule your next checkup before leaving your current one. Otherwise, it’s easy to get behind!

Make A Commitment To Have Better Teeth — and Stick With It

We’ve gone over some great ways to get healthier teeth and gums, but deciding to do so is definitely a commitment.  It’s not something that you do one day and forget about for the two after.  Poor oral care will eventually catch up with you, so if you’re deciding to have better oral hygiene as a new year’s resolution, you need to be dedicated.

Of course, we’re always here to help.  Even if you need to see us more often than every six months, we’ll gladly do our part to ensure that you’re getting the professional dental attention that you need.  Go ahead and call to schedule your first appointment of 2020.  Dr. Yazdan, our Newport Beach dentist, looks forward to meeting you!

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