New Year’s Resolution: Cross Out Bad Dental Habits
New Year is all about welcoming new beginnings and changing the ways that hold you back from being better. Almost everyone creates a list called the New Year’s resolution to keep them organized and motivated upon complying with it.
Being physically fit, academically competitive and other resolutions – everything has to do with lessening the bad habits and applying better ones, and good dental care must be included in this. It’s the perfect time to make everything better between you and your teeth.
The Guilt in these Habits
Even though one thinks he’s doing the right routine, the unnoticed bad dental habits will eventually cause dental health problems. So what are these bad dental habits that must be eliminated for your New Year’s resolution? Read on and be guilty of these bad habits:
- Drinking from bottled water. It prevents you from vital fluoride which usually comes from drinking tap water. So instead of bottled ones, look for tap water and drink on fluoride.
- Manners of crunching, sipping and sucking. The brittleness put stress and fractures on your teeth when you crunch on something like kernels and crushed and cubed ice. Sipping on sodas expose your teeth and gum line to acids which will lead to tooth decay and gum recession. And mind your children not to suck their thumbs because it causes misalignment of teeth and jaw structure. These guilty pleasures must be stopped just by chewing something nutritious, sipping soda through a straw, and avoid sucking of thumbs.
- Not doing the right routine in using toothbrush.
- Brushing immediately before and after meal. Brushing your teeth directly before and after your meal makes your teeth more sensitive and damaged. Instead, wait for 30 minutes until you head to the bathroom and you can have a little time with mouthwash or sugarless gum while waiting.
- Brushing with deep pressure. It can cause gum recession and enamel erosion, making your teeth more susceptible to decay.
- Not brushing all of the teeth. Every surface of the teeth – inner and outer and between each – must be brushed for plaques are everywhere.
- Not brushing the tongue. It is one of the areas where bacteria enjoy living.
- Using the same toothbrush for a long time. Overtime, its bristles wear out and it must be replaced every three months.
- Not using toothpaste with fluoride. Some believe that fluoride is too strong for some ages to use, but the truth is that it helps prevent your teeth from cavities; thus, develops healthy teeth.
- Ignoring to floss. Toothbrush can’t reach all of the areas where plaques reside, like the ones in-between your teeth and under your gum line. Limit yourself to floss once or twice a day.
- Not gargling or rinsing your mouth. It’s not advisable to brush immediately before and after meal, but rinsing your mouth is. It helps eliminate food particles and acids in a natural way.
- Treating teeth like tools. Everyone’s guilty of using teeth to complete different tasks, from mild to extensive once. It traumatizes and weakens your teeth and causes fractures. Just use the right tools and mind not using your teeth.
- Forgetting and avoiding dental check-ups. Not visiting your dentist worsens your bad dental habits, as it is a must for your teeth to be checked twice a year. Dentists know best to help you while avoiding your bad dental habits.
New Year Leaves Old Habits
It’s impossible not to have at least one of these bad dental habits. Create a different section for your list of New Year’s resolutions organized only for your dental care. Avoid these bad dental habits and you’ll be surprised how your teeth will react and become healthier and more attractive when the next year comes.