Are you striving for a healthier new year? Healthier lifestyle choices are about more than being fit, a healthy lifestyle is reflected throughout your whole body. Including your teeth. If your New Year resolves to create a healthier lifestyle we are here for it. Here are a few of our favorites when it comes to mouth care.
New Year’s Resolution: Financial Improvement
It is no secret that dental care costs money. Dental insurance simply doesn’t work like healthcare, instead of meeting deductibles, dental insurance is usually about meeting maximums. Meaning there is a maximum number that your dental insurance will pay over the year. Therefore, taking care of your dental health is paramount to both your smile and your wallet. If you’d like to learn more about the cost associated with dental care, we’ve broken them down for you here.
Commonwealth Dentistry offers many ways to offset the cost of dental procedures. First and foremost, keeping up with routine care including regular dentist visits is extremely important. In addition, attending regular dental visits helps keep your smile bright. We also offer our own, affordable dental care plan. Commonwealth Care Membership is a discounted annual dental membership plan for those who are uninsured and in need of quality dental care. With our membership plan, you and your family have access to easy and affordable dental services.
New Year’s Resolution: Improve Dental Habits
Change often coincides with routine. If you integrate positive changes in your schedule, they quickly become positive habits. Ethicists Michael Josephson says, “Approach the New Year with resolve to find the opportunities
hidden in each new day.” Resolving to make the following tips part of your healthier new year plan will provide maximum lifelong benefits.
- Brush for two minutes twice a day using a gentle soft-bristled brush to avoid damage to the enamel
- Hold your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle
- Use fluoride toothpaste
- Thoroughly floss in-between your teeth each day
- Rinse your mouth with mouthwash after brushing
New Year’s Resolution: Healthy Swaps
Diet is often a key player in many healthier new year plans. While life should be about balance and finding ways to enjoy what your love, it is no secret that some foods are better for your teeth than others. Sugary, acidic, hard, or sticky foods can cause damage to your teeth. Other ways to improve your mouth health include:
- Eating generous amounts of fruits and veggies
- Reduce snacking between meals
- Drinking ample amounts of water
- Talk to your dental or medical provider to make sure that your diet consists of foods with enough minerals and vitamins for strong teeth
New Year’s Resolution: Smile More
There are so many benefits to smiling. If changing your smile has been one of your life goals, why not make it a reality? There are many ways to improve your smile including teeth whitening, Invisalign, dental bonding, dental bridges, and veneers. If creating a beautiful smile is on your shortlist this year, we’d love to help!
New Year’s Resolution: Quit Bad Habits
Creating and maintaining healthy habits is a key component to reaching your healthier new year goals. However, quitting bad habits is also vital to a healthy mouth. There are simply no benefits to using tobacco products. Tobacco use puts you at risk for stained teeth, gum disease, tooth loss, and in more severe cases oral cancer. Smokers are more likely to experience plaque buildup. Smoking causes a lack of oxygen in the bloodstream thus gums heal less quickly than those who don’t smoke. Therefore, smokers are at higher risk for gum disease, the number one cause of tooth loss in adults. There is no time like the present to quit smoking.
No matter what your goals are for a healthier new year it is clear that making small changes can have big impacts. If we can be of assistance to you on your health journey, please reach out. We have eight convenient locations to better serve you.
