As we begin a fresh new year, it always seems like we set lofty intentions for ourselves. Whether it’s a health goal, a financial goal, or a lifestyle goal, we are all about being the best version of ourselves. As so many of you already know, the health of our mouth is the window into the health of our body! So what better time than the beginning of the year to give you our ultimate guide for healthy teeth in 2022?
Dental Office Things
Let’s take this guide from the ground up, and start with the gums. So many of us end the year stressed, and what does this give us? Irritated gums that can bleed when you’re brushing and flossing. At Sugar Fix Dental Loft, we want each and every one of our patients to have a strong foundation of healthy gums to support their teeth. This means we keep track of your gum depths every year, and notice when something changes even a little bit. Depending on the current state of your gums, six month cleanings might be great for you, or sometimes your gums will need a little extra TLC and come in for maintenance every 3-4 months. Every body reacts differently to stress, foods and plaque so we tailor a cleaning plan to every person!
One other issue we work with is stress management. Yes you read that right! As a dental practice, we get to know our guests on a personal level, and often will know when certain times of the year or life periods are more stressful for them. We see a huge increase in teeth grinding and clenching during tax season, before school goes back in session, during the holidays, even around weddings! Grinding and clenching your teeth can lead to jaw pain, tooth sensitivity, gum recession, and cracked teeth and fillings- none of which are desirable. Depending on lifestyle and when the grinding and clenching occurs, we recommend either a nightguard, or botox therapy for TMJ (sometimes even both if you’re a really aggressive clencher like me!)
At Home Things
Besides coming in for regular cleanings, there are a couple things you can do at home to keep your gums healthy. First is to use a Sonicare toothbrush. They’ve been around forever and keep getting updated to be better and better. At this point, they literally brush your teeth and massage your gums for you… all you need to do is hold it! There have been quite a few electric toothbrush companies popping up that have sleek designs, or send you new brush heads automatically, but from what we’ve seen these other brands do a really subpar job at cleaning. Your money is better spent going for the real deal. Go for the Sonicare!
The other product we recommend is something you’ve heard time and time again. FLOSS! But not with just any floss, we absolutely love CocoFloss. And it’s not just the cute packaging and yummy flavors. CocoFloss uses woven technology to act like a loofah for your teeth. You can feel it scrubbing away the plaque and stains from those little crevices and actually see little blobs of plaque being pulled out (so gross yet so satisfying). CocoFloss also has a light coating of coconut oil which is an antimicrobial to destroy any remaining bacteria and alleviate bleeding gums! Once you feel the difference, you won’t be able to go back to plain waxed floss ever again.
Another product we highly recommend to many of our guests is Fluoridex toothpaste. It is a prescription-strength fluoride toothpaste that is really incredible at strengthening your enamel. Whether you suffer from cavities or acid reflux, both of these ailments weaken your enamel. Fluoridex will soak into your enamel with fluoride and phosphate to repair any areas that are starting to become weak. It is wonderful to prevent pre-cavities from becoming full-on cavities and prevent acid reflux from eroding your enamel over time. Not everybody needs it, but it is a great preventative measure than so many of our guests ask for!
Total Wellness Things
Last but not least, lets chat about what you’re eating and drinking. At the top of our no-no list are sodas, sticky candies, and carbonated water. Soda is both incredibly acidic and sugary and is possibly the worst beverage you can consume for your teeth. Sticky candies tend to get into the grooves of your teeth and are so hard to completely scrub out with a toothbrush. Carbonated water is also really acidic, people also tend to sip on it all day as a water replacement so that acid wash is constantly going over their teeth. One of the best things you can do for your mouth (and your body) is to drink eight glasses of plain old water a day. If you need to brighten up the taste a little, stay away from citrus and fruits and infuse it with some neutral pH mint or cucumber! Rather than sticky candies, try a bowl of berries. They’re full of antioxidants for your body and are natural teeth whiteners as well!
We hope you enjoyed our Ultimate Guide to Healthy Teeth in 2022. With these easy tips and tricks, you’ll be on your way to a healthy mouth and healthy body!