Achievable New Year’s Oral Health Resolutions….

From Kent Smile Studio

Having goals for New Year seems a bit overdone to some, but it can be a wonderful opportunity to improve your life alongside everybody else doing the same thing. Stoptober is so successful because people do not feel alone in their struggles to quit smoking. January has the same feel about it, because many people are working towards personal goals for self improvement.

There are lots of New Year resolutions you can consider that are personal to you, but we’d like to give you some achievable resolution ideas relating to your oral health.

After all, your smile is so important and your oral health is directly linked to the health of the rest of your body. Here are some achievable oral health resolution ideas from your Maidstone and Chatham dentist to inspire your New Year and hopefully get your smiling all the way through 2019!

Quit Smoking

We already know that most of our patients are aware of the risks smoking poses to their health. However, we really do want to encourage smokers to move towards quitting, because the risks haven’t changed. You are still at a  50% chance of dying because of your habit, which is really scary. Smoking also has a big effect on your oral health and can contribute to your risk of gum disease, can cause gum recession, cavities, stained teeth, bad breath and contributes hugely to your risk of oral cancers. Quitting smoking is literally giving yourself the gift of a longer life and you’d be hard pushed to beat that as a better resolution! Take a look at the NHS Smokefree site for more information on quitting for good.

Book Regular Checkups

Your dental checkups with us are so important because they ensure we can catch any issues really early. Cavities, worn teeth and other issues are better treated early to avoid costly treatments, painful side effects and more invasive work in the future. We also use checkups as a chance to check for oral cancer, which is also best caught early.

Cut Down On Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol consumption in excess can be very bad for the body. Even in small amounts, sugary alcoholic drinks can be just as bad as drinking full sugar sodas in terms of your oral health. Do think about cutting down long term and limiting yourself to one or two drinks throughout the week. Take a look at the ‘Drink Aware’ web page on cutting down on alcohol consumption for more information.

Curb Snacking From Bad To Good Snacks

Snacking can be really bad if you constantly feast on starchy carbs, sugary snacks and high acid snacks. This is especially true if you do it too often. Snacking doesn’t have to be bad though, in fact you can switch it around for a really great New Year’s resolution. Instead of snacking on the bad things, snack on fruits and vegetables. Your whole body, including your teeth and gums, really need the nutrients in fresh fruit and vegetables to thrive. Your immune system depends on the nutrients and without them, you could place yourself at risk of gum disease, or at a place where you are less able to fight the infection. You are also more at risk of oral cancer when you don’t eat many fruits and vegetables. So, there you have it, don’t stop snacking, just change what you snack on.

Cut The Soft Drinks Out

Full sugar soft drinks are abysmal for oral health, causing cavities very quickly. Diet pop isn’t that much better. Although it is sugar free it is still highly acidic. Your teeth and gums, and your whole body would much prefer water for great hydration and no side effects. Switching to water on the whole is a really great New Years resolution.

Get Better At Brushing

Your oral health largely depends on what you consume, and what you do to protect your teeth daily. As you’re already going to be snacking on healthy foods, you may as well also get better at brushing your teeth too, so you’ve got all round great oral health habits. If you are concerned that your brushing technique isn’t getting rid of plaque how it should be, please do book in with our hygienist for a dedicated appointment. They can assess your current techniques, give you a great scale and polish and help you improve your day to day habits for better oral health.

Protect Your Teeth From New Hobbies

Although you are unlikely to hurt your teeth at a yoga class (although aerial yoga looks pretty scary!) you might just suffer an injury at a rugby or American Football game. These new healthy hobbies are wonderful for your overall health but you should protect your teeth and gums from nasty injuries when you take part. Our local dentist offers custom mouthguards for sports like rugby to offer bespoke protection to your smile. These mouthguards are better than those offered as a ‘mould your own’ option in shops because they are high-grade, custom fit and work to specifically protect your teeth and gums. They aren’t a ‘one size fits all’ option.

Book Into Kent Smile Studio To Book An Appointment

Here at Kent Smile Studio we offer general, cosmetic and restorative dentistry to ensure all our patients dental needs are met.

If one of your resolutions is to have more smile confidence with a smile to be proud of, we can help. We have dental implants, veneers, teeth whitening and lots of other innovative treatments we can combine to create the perfect smile makeover package for you. We want to help you have the happiest, healthiest smile for 2019, and for years to come!

Please call our reception team at our Chatham or Maidstone practice and they will be pleased to provide you with more information, or book you in for a checkup or consultation at a time to suit you.