Dental Health & Wellbeing Goals for Life

Set Your Dental Health and Wellbeing Goals

What are your goals for your dental health and wellbeing?

The New Year is just around the corner and it’s a time when many people start planning ahead by making their resolutions for the coming months. At the top of most people’s list is to get fitter, lose weight, quit smoking and improve their health.

Goals For Dental Health and A Healthy Body

For me improving your health is more than a set of goals for the year it is an ongoing lifestyle change involving nutrition, quality sleep, stress reduction, keeping the body active, being more loving of self and others and having work-life balance.

A healthy body also includes a healthy mouth – the two go hand in hand.

For those who want better oral health in 2013, Dr Rachel Hall your holistic Kenmore dentist offers the following simple advice to help make these resolutions work.

How To Reach Your Dental Health Goals

Brush and floss regularly: The simple combination of brushing twice a day and flossing daily is the foundation for maintaining healthy teeth and gums. Any food that stays stuck to your teeth feeds a bacterial response that produces acid and inflammation that erodes tooth enamel and triggers gum disease.

Visit a dentist: Don’t delay making an appointment for a check-up. Dentists do more than just check and clean teeth. They can also check for signs of serious oral health problems like oral cancer and gum disease, answer questions and provide advice for adults and children and alert patients to signs of potential medical conditions.

Avoid tobacco products: Many of the cases of severe gum disease I see in adults can be attributed to cigarette smoking, the prevalence of gum disease is three times higher among smokers than non-smokers. Smoking is arguably one of the most destructive oral health habits increase your risk for gum disease, tooth decay, tooth loss and oral cancers.

Eat sugar in moderation: “Moderation in all things” – a saying that is very appropriate when it comes to sugary foods. Tooth decay occurs when sugar from lollies, biscuits, soft drinks, sweets, or simple carbohydrates like those in bread, pasta, rice, potatoes and fruit, feeds the bacteria in the sticky plaque that constantly forms on teeth to produce acid. The production of acid can destroy tooth enamel leading to dental decay and cavities. Whenever possible, have sweet things at mealtimes only and brush afterwards if possible. Limit sugary snacks, the more times during the day that your teeth are exposed to sugar, the more times they are attacked by acid. It is the frequency of sugar exposure that greatly increases your susceptibility for tooth decay. In my opinion, sugar should be avoided as the impact it has on dental and overall health is so detrimental.

Protect your teeth: If you play contact sports a mouthguard is a must to protect your teeth from damage as they absorb the forces that impact the mouth, teeth, face and jaw when you take a hit to the face. Wearing a mouthguard can prevent chipped, fractured, displaced or dislodged teeth, fractured or displaced jaws, TMJ trauma, and lacerations to the lips and mouth that result from the edges of the teeth.

Only use your teeth for chewing: Avoid using your teeth for anything other than chewing food. If you use them to crack nuts, bite your fingernails, remove bottle tops or rip open packaging, you risk chipping or even breaking your teeth.

Reduce bacteria: Brush your tongue as well as your teeth to help eliminate mouth-borne bacteria. Use a mouthwash to reduce bacteria and improve oral health. Always choose an alcohol-free mouthwash as those with alcohol can dry out the mouth and are potentially carcinogenic.

This is a brief and simple overview of things you can do to take better care of you and your dental health starting today.

Advice For Great Dental Health

My advice for 2013 is cut the sugar from your diet, brush and floss regularly, eat well, live well and love well.

Remember a healthy smile is more than nice looking, straight white teeth.

As a holistic dentist, I believe a healthy smile starts with a clean healthy mouth without infections, gum disease, tooth decay or toxins like mercury and is supported by a healthy lifestyle.

Call Evolve Dental Healing to see how we can assist you to achieve your dental health and wellbeing goals for now and the years ahead.