How to Have Optimal Oral Health in 2023

Happy new year! Our entire team would like to wish you and your loved ones a year of good health and happiness. We also wanted to encourage you to continue strong with your resolutions.

The beginning of the year is a fantastic time to set new goals. It can be perceived as a blank canvas, which allows for any project to come to fruition. Unfortunately, most new year resolutions don’t tend to stick past January.

One of the issues that could hinder people from sticking to their resolutions is that they aim for big changes that are difficult to integrate into everyday life. Another potential setback could be that there is no benchmark to gauge what success looks like for these resolutions. This is truly a shame considering that the majority of the new year’s goals are health related.

The mouth is a great indicator of a person’s overall health. We think this is a great place to start when it comes to health and fitness goals. Therefore, we wanted to share some simple and important goals that you could use for your resolutions that will make it easy to follow until the end of the year.

 

We hardly ever see a patient that is inconsistent with brushing their teeth during their morning routine. However, it is a lot more common than we would like to see for patients to not implement a tooth brushing routine at night.

Teeth should be brushed at least twice a day. The mouth collects plenty of germs and plaque during the day. Brushing your teeth before bedtime will remove all of that. Bonus point given for the fact that the brain really enjoys routine. After a week or so of brushing your teeth before bed, your brain will understand that it’s bedtime and allow you to rest easier.

We see many patients with great brushing habits that neglect to floss. We want 2023 to be the year where flossing once a day is the new normal. Flossing is imperative to removing the plaque and germs that get stuck in the areas that toothbrushes cannot reach. Many issues can arise from not flossing, even if you brush your teeth twice a day. Our recommendation is to make flossing part of your evening routine. You can use it as a tool to unwind before bedtime.

Crooked teeth often translate into difficult brushing and flossing. This means that there is a higher chance of plaque buildup. Plaque can cause havoc when it comes to oral health as it can lead to tartar and inflammation. Inflammation can easily lead to gum disease.

Invisalign aligners are great at correcting crooked teeth. In the long run, this means that your gum health will be improved since you will be able to reach all the intricate spaces within the teeth during brushing and flossing.

 

Water is liquid gold when it comes to oral health. It is also the same when it comes to overall health. Drinking more water is truly a fantastic new year’s resolution. We recommend making it a habit to drink a full glass of water after every meal. This will help wash down particles of food that could turn into plaque.

Dental cleanings and checkups are so important! We cannot stress this enough. It is always easier to deal with oral health problems in their early stages than when they have become bigger issues. Dental cleanings and checkups are great for this! They are also very important for removing any gunk that brushing and flossing could not get out.

We know that there might be many other goals that you want to achieve this year. We also know that you can do it! The resolutions mentioned above are only going to fuel your fire for your bigger goals. These are easy to implement and will change the way you feel everyday in a positive manner. Remember, your mouth is the entry point for biological events such as digestion and respiration. Do not neglect it! It can 100% help change your overall health.