Resolve to improve your oral health
As the new year approaches, we are all thinking of making resolutions to improve our lives and our health.
As a dentist committed to you and your family’s good health, I’d like to suggest resolving to improve your oral health in 2018.
However, a resolution without a plan is planning to fail.
Read on to make this year’s resolution a successful one.
Can You Make A Suggestion for Mouth Care Priorities for the New Year?
You bet I can!
Before I do, allow me a moment to wish a Happy New Year to everyone. I hope that this year will be filled with wonderful things for everyone.
Now let me get to our topic at hand.
Making a Fresh Start
There is no feeling better than that of making a fresh start. Our lives revolve around a yearly calendar. We get this fantastic opportunity to refresh and recharge ourselves mentally. I can not stress how important this is, to every one of us. As the time goes by, we rarely think of ourselves. The month of January allows us to reflect upon ourselves and look at how we can do things differently than in the past. The guiding motivation is not only “different,” but “better.” It is a well-known fact that memberships in health clubs explode in January. Unfortunately, few people maintain the enthusiasm and commitment as time goes on.
Today, let’s focus on making our goals real and attainable. Specifically, I am going to focus on techniques to improve our oral health. I have spoken at length in this column and face to face in the office about the impact of oral health on our general health. My suggestions will, therefore, have implications that go beyond the mouth. Its ramifications are endless.
One of the reasons that New Year’s Resolutions don’t work is that they are too broad and extensive. This translates into unrealistic goals and expectations. The key to success is to think of a small and incremental change that will impact you and your life. Once you have that thought, then make the change even more modest. Make it something that you can do immediately and simply. Okay, so let’s look at my list.
5 Simple Steps to Improve Your Oral Health.
1. Get a New Toothbrush.
This is so simple.
A builder once told me that “new” is always good. He is absolutely right about this concept.
It applies equally as well in the mouth. Toothbrushes are most efficient when the bristles are fresh. Over time, they do not clean as well. For the short term, our mouths do not feel as fresh with a worn brush. In the long run, they are not doing their job causing problems, and we are wasting our time.
2. Get Your Teeth Cleaned.
Now is a great time to set up a cleaning visit. We all overate during the holiday season and probably didn’t brush as well as we should. The timing is perfect to remove the tartar and stain from our teeth. Seeing freshly cleaned teeth is always a great motivator for oral health.
3. Select One Need and Take Care of It.
Sometimes we are overwhelmed by recommended procedures. It is merely easier to forget everything in the face of multiple needs. For example, you may need four fillings. Rather than just letting things go, pick one filling and get it taken care of.
If you follow that approach, it will be much easier and not be such a burden on you regarding time, effort and possibly finances.
4. Eliminate One Junk Food Daily.
Junk food, in general, and holiday treats specifically, all wreak havoc with our mouths. These sticky foods do not come off of our teeth naturally. It takes work to remove them from our tooth enamel. Usually, the time and place are inconvenient for efficient removal of sticky food products. I recommend that you stock up or carry a sweet fruit with you. It is loaded with fiber, great nutrients and really will satisfy your sweet tooth.
5. Spend Another 30 Seconds Brushing Your Teeth
We all spend too little time brushing. Once we have made an effort to go to a bathroom, haul out the toothbrush and turn on the sink water we have done all of the hard things. It is so easy to spend a little more time brushing and try to reach our goal of debris free teeth. Another half of a minute is time well spent.
In conclusion
These are all goals and techniques that are easy to do. Find one that you like and adopt it. It will stay with you and reward you in the future. If you have any question about my FIVE STEPS, please call me at 440.951.7856. I look forward to hearing from you.
Here’s to a successful New Year’s resolution for a Healthy Smile!
Jeffrey Gross, DDS, FAGD is an Ohio licensed general dentist and is on the staff of Case Western Reserve School of Dental Medicine.