Ideas for improving your smile in the New Year

If you’ve been looking to make a change for the better when it comes to your dental and oral health, you don’t need to wait until January to do it. But making a dental New Year’s resolution is sometimes an effective way to motivate yourself to break a bad habit or create a good habit. If there are aspects of your dental health that you want to improve, look at 2023 as an opportunity to make those changes.

Establish (or Re-Establish) Good Dental Health Practices

You probably know the most basic recommendations for good oral health: brush twice daily, floss daily, visit the dentist for a routine cleaning twice a year. These are good suggestions that you should incorporate into your routine if you haven’t already. After all, health problems often start in the mouth, so preventing problems there prevents problems everywhere. But there are lots of other recommendations for improving your dental health, and most of them are easy as pie to get used to:

• When you brush your teeth, make sure you’re doing it for two minutes. Consider setting a timer or, if that sounds insufficiently exciting, sing or hum a two-minute song (or a 30-second tune four times) to yourself.
• Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and don’t brush too hard, lest you damage the enamel of your teeth.
• Hold the toothbrush at a 45-degree angle to the gumline; this positioning makes it easier to clean the entire surface are of your teeth.
• Use a toothpaste with fluoride.
• Use mouthwash or an antiseptic rinse after you’re done brushing and flossing.
• Rinse your mouth with water after meals, snacks and sugary beverages.

 Kick Those Nagging Bad Habits

Even the most diligent tooth-brusher will admit to the occasional bad habit. If you have one or two bad dental habits, there’s no need to beat yourself up over it. But this is as good a time as any to cut back on them. Some of the steps you can take toward a brighter smile in 2023 are:

• Cut down on sugary or acidic food and drinks.
• Similarly, keep a close eye on your consumption of foods that can stain the teeth, such as chocolate, coffee, soda and red wine.
• Reduce the amount of between-meals snacking you engage in.
• Prevent dry mouth by cutting back on alcohol.
• If you’re a smoker, you’ve already heard this a million times, but quitting will do wonders for your oral health, and the New Year is a great time to try it. The same goes for other forms of tobacco use.

Find Positive Changes to Make

Maybe you already practice all of those oral health tips we detailed above, or maybe you want to make a bigger change than those changes can offer. There are plenty of proactive ways in which you can make a positive impact on your dental health. Some options to consider in 2023 are:

• Invest in an electric toothbrush that can more effectively clean the teeth.
• Improve your breath by getting a tongue scraper and adding that to your brushing regimen.
• Add healthful foods to your diet: fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts. Not only are these foods nutrient-rich, some of them – such as apples, carrots and celery – help clean plaque off the teeth.
• Chew sugar-free gum to stimulate saliva production, which makes it easier for the mouth to wash away food particles.
• Commit to drinking more water each day.
• Look into procedures that can help you deal with ongoing dental problems. Think Invisalign, professional whitening treatments, crowns or bridges for damaged teeth, etc.

Helping You Have a Brighter Smile in 2023

If you’re looking to make a change for the sake of your dental health in the New Year, Springfield Dental Group is here to help. Reach out to us if you want more information about one of the procedures detailed above, or just if you need some insight on factors you might not be considering, such as medications that can reduce saliva output. And if you just need to schedule your next routine cleaning, we’re ready to put you on the calendar!