5 New Year’s Resolutions For A Healthier Smile

Tooth care
Written by Arnab Dey
December 21, 2022

With the New Year just around the corner, you might have already started to think about your New Year’s resolutions. You might be considering getting a better job or saving money for a trip.

Additionally, you may have set goals for a healthier and better lifestyle in the coming year. So, why not make one of your resolutions to achieve a healthier smile and improve oral health?

After all, improving your oral health can improve your overall health. It allows you to avoid medical problems such as respiratory infections, heart disease, or diabetes. In fact, research has shown that bacteria that cause gum diseases are also found in individuals with heart disease.

On the other hand, poor dental health can lead to dental cavities and gum diseases. Moreover, it can cause complications in pregnancy, such as birth defects and premature delivery, making it vital to improve oral health.

Still, trying to figure out how to achieve a healthier smile? Here are some New Year’s resolutions to improve your oral health.

Contents

Checkout 5 New Year’s Resolutions For Dental Health:

1. Schedule Your Dental Appointment

It’s something you might have heard repeatedly, but why is it essential to visit the dentist regularly? Visiting your dentist often helps you get the smile you have always dreamed about. Whether you have misaligned jaws or gaps between teeth, a dental professional like an orthodontist can help you get the perfect smile.

For instance, if you’re living in Fresno and Clovis, searching for an experienced orthodontist near me in Fresno & Clovis allows you to get advice in the right direction to help build the ideal smile.

But that’s not all! Visiting the dentist often helps them spot concerns that could become significant issues later. Not just that, they can help you keep up with what’s happening in your mouth, assist with pain and provide you with a follow-up plan. Perhaps if the dentist examines a small cavity developing, they can provide you with a treatment instantly.

2. Quit Smoking

Wondering what smoking does to your teeth? Remember, smoking impacts not just the appearance of your teeth but also your health. Smoking can tarnish your teeth and discolor your tongue. Moreover, smoking encourages plaque, bacteria, and tartar build-up, causing decay, cavities, and tooth loss.

Besides that, exposure to dangerous substances found in cigars, cigarettes, and tobacco triggers alterations in the healthy cells of your mouth, boosting your risk for growing oral cancer. Alongside, a smoker’s immune system can get compromised, leading to damaged defenses against dental infections and slower improvement from dental surgical practices.

So, isn’t it better to quit smoking? Even if you have tried quitting smoking various times and haven’t succeeded, look at the next option. Consider reducing your quantity of regular smoking to improve your dental health and save your teeth, allowing you to get a healthier smile.

3. Make Healthier Choices with Your Diet

Your diet can have a considerable influence on your dental health. For instance, if you take in too many sugar-filled drinks or junk food, you might be at risk for tooth decay.

On the other hand, starchy foods can easily stick to your teeth. The longer it’s stuck in your teeth, the greater chances you’ll develop decay and cavities, making it vital to eat healthily.

So, what should you add to your plate? Consider adding colorful foods rich in antioxidants to your diet. This helps you strengthen the cells, which reduces the risk of cavities and fighting gum diseases.

For instance, you can incorporate these ‘superfoods’ into your diet:

Artichoke
Dark chocolate
Kidney beans
Ginger
Cabbage
Blueberries, cranberries, blackberries
Turmeric
Spinach

Similarly, you should avoid foods that are:

Sticky and chewy
Starchy
High acidic
Sugary

4. Commit to Flossing

You might have heard that using dental floss is as essential as brushing, but do you know why that is? Dental floss allows you to remove food substances and bacteria stuck in between your teeth, helping you reduce the risk of developing tooth decay. Additionally, flossing eliminates bacteria and germs under the gums. This helps prevent the development of periodontal diseases. Flossing regularly allows you to protect your teeth from cavities.

On the other hand, without proper flossing, you can develop bleeding gums, worsening to extremely red, swollen, and bleeding gums. As a result, this can lead to gum diseases, making it essential to floss regularly.

But what is the correct way of flossing your teeth? Here’s how you should floss your teeth:

Step one: break off about 16 inches of floss and wrap it around one of your fingers. Bend the remaining floss over the same finger of the opposite hand.
Step two: hold the floss tight with your index fingers and thumb.
Step three: put the floss between your two teeth and gently move it upwards and downwards, brushing it against both edges of each tooth. Remember, don’t slide it into your gums; it can bruise or scratch them.
Step four: As the floss gets into your gums, curve it at the end of the tooth to form a C-shape. This enables the floss to go into the space between your tooth and gums.

5. Stay Hydrated

Did you know drinking water can play a substantial role in helping you get a healthier smile? Water is a fantastic mouth cleaner as it washes away leftover food substances that cavity-causing germs love to eat. Not just that, it weakens the acids generated by the bacteria in your mouth.

Besides that, drinking lots of water strengthens your tooth enamel. This is because water includes fluoride, which helps re-mineralize damaged enamel. Alongside, drinking water encourages saliva production and prevents dry mouth.

Increasing your water consumption might sound easy, but remembering to drink water can be challenging. So, here are some tips to help you stay hydrated:

Try switching to water if you can’t eliminate soda or juice from your diet. Every time you drink a glass of water, move to juice or soda and vice versa.
Check how much water you consume regularly and then set objectives to improve or preserve your water consumption during the day.
Take a bottle with you everywhere you go. This allows you to drink water when you’re thirsty rather than drinking something else like sugary sodas.
Add flavor to your water. For instance, you can incorporate lemons, limes, and oranges into your water. Cucumbers, strawberries, watermelon, and herbs also are great options.

Final Thoughts

Are you confused about how you can work towards getting a healthier and brighter smile this upcoming year? Don’t worry; we’re here to help you. Look at the abovementioned resolutions and see how you can incorporate them into your routine to get the perfect smile.

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