Get Your Mouth Healthy in 2017!

By Chie Li Ee DMD and Chrissy Boothroyd
It’s that time of year again to set our New Year’s resolutions. Many people decide to focus on diet and weight loss, but what about focusing on oral health this year? Because they set unrealistic goals, most people abandon their resolutions by February. Here are some simple suggestions to improve your oral health that you can easily keep all year long.
1. See Your Dentist for Regular Checkups – By seeing your dentist at least twice a year, you can help prevent any dental health problems before they cause discomfort or require more comprehensive or expensive treatment. Routine dental visits aid in keeping teeth and gums healthy, and may actually help you live longer. Recent studies have shown there is a possible correlation between periodontal (gum) disease and heart related problems, like heart disease. Your dentist can also help detect other medical conditions such as diabetes and cancer that may first present orally.
2. Quit Using Tobacco Products – Using tobacco products can increase your risk for tooth discoloration, cavities, gum recession, gum disease and throat, lung and oral cancer. Smokers are about twice as likely to lose their teeth as non-smokers. The good news is that the risk of tooth loss decreases after you quit smoking or using smokeless tobacco.
3. Brush at Least Twice a Day and Floss at Least Once a Day – Daily tooth-brushing and flossing are a sure and simple way to improve your oral health. Without proper brushing and flossing, you may develop bleeding gums, which may worsen to severely swollen, red, bleeding gums (gingivitis) and eventually, gum disease.
4. Healthier Food and Beverage Choices – Frequent consumption of food and beverages containing carbohydrates and acids contributes to tooth decay, so it is important to brush after snacking. Poor nutrition can affect the entire immune system, increasing susceptibility to many common oral disorders, including gum (periodontal) disease.
5. Restorative Dentistry – The New Year may be the right time to start or complete deferred restorative dental work, such as crowns, implants or fillings. Completing these types of procedures will help you to preserve the tooth structure and to maintain proper tooth alignment, which could ultimately improve your oral health.
The importance of regular dental visits goes well beyond a person’s oral health, so make 2017 the year to focus on getting your mouth healthy. We at Cape May Dental Associates welcome new patients and are committed to providing quality and comprehensive care for all of our patients. Call (609) 884-5335 to make your appointment today! For more information, visit www.capemaydental.com.