Everyone wants to have perfect, healthy teeth, but sometimes your life gets in the way. Running to work, sitting in traffic, or even going on family outings are all parts of life. But at the end of the day, sometimes your oral health falls by the wayside in your busy life. So how can you practice good oral health habits for your busy lifestyle?
Drink Your Water
The first thing you can do for your oral health is to drink water. You have heard this advice millions of times when it comes to your body’s health, but the same applies to your oral health. Drinking water not only helps to loosen food particles from your mouth, it can also stimulate saliva production and can help fight bad breath and dry mouth. On top of this, drinking water does no harm to your teeth. Compared to the constant onslaught of acids and sugars that we consume on a daily basis, water contains none of these chemicals and may even have trace amounts of fluoride, which strengthens your teeth and helps keep them clean. Drinking extra water during the day, or even replacing your daily sugary beverage with a glass of water, can do wonders for your smile. Plus, you might even enjoy an extra drink of water at work, on the go, or hanging out around your home.
Cut Back on Snacking
The next good oral health trick for your busy lifestyle is to cut down on excess snacking. This is a little harder to do than remembering to drink water throughout the day, but it can do wonders for your smile. Salty, acidic, and sugary foods can all take their toll on your teeth and your body. Not only will they increase your risk of cavities and enamel damage, they can also stain the surface of your teeth, costing you time and money in the form of whitening treatments down the road. If you think about the number of times a day you snack as added damage to your teeth, you’ll start to realize the repetitive damage extra snacks can do to your smile. But don’t worry, there are some snacks you can have that won’t harm your teeth. Things like cheese, vegetables, nuts, and simple crackers are all snack-safe options for your oral health.
Chew Sugar Free Gum
The next quick oral health tip for the busy individual is chewing sugar free gum. Not only does chewing gum help stimulate saliva production, it can remove bits of extra food from between your teeth and can help clean off plaque buildup between brushings. Chewing gum can strengthen your jaw, prevent tooth decay, and even tastes fantastic as a bonus. Just make sure you are picking sugar-free gum the next time you make a grocery store run, otherwise, you run the risk of damaging your teeth with the additional sugar content.
Visit Your Dentist
The final good oral health care tip for your busy lifestyle is to make time to visit your dentist. While it can be hard to cut out a portion of your busy week to make an appointment with our office in Mt Pleasant, making sure your teeth are cleaned and checked by a professional on a regular basis can help keep your mouth happy and healthy. If you are looking to set up a cleaning appointment, or have any other questions, contact Crossland Dental Associates today.
