Show Me Your Teeth!

Cheers! It's November 1st, the fresh start of a brand new month. Do you know what I love about the first of each month? I treat each one like January 1st, and choose new "resolutions" to work on for the next four weeks. Don't worry, I'm not making any resolutions that involve Lady Gaga, but what IS up for today? Well, with Halloween nipping at our heels, I think TOOTH CARE needs to head up our list!


I'll bet you don't know a single dentist that does NOT floss their teeth, right? Why is that? Because nothing replaces flossing for cleaning your teeth and promoting healthy gums as well. We are hearing more and more that oral hygiene has implications for the rest of our body's health, especially cardiac, so we really need to focus more on prevention.

Make sure that you are brushing your teeth with a pea-sized amount of flouride toothpaste, and TAKE YOUR TIME- you should brush for a full two minutes, at least twice per day. Add in flossing once per day, and that extra 30 seconds is very well spent! Limit carbonated and other sugary beverages, and when you drink them, try not to nurse them over several hours (this is a weakness of mine.) Dentists recommend drinking a soda in less than fifteen minutes- treating it like a dessert. Then, go at least rinse your mouth with water if you can't brush those teeth!

So, remember that it takes up to twenty-one days to create a HABIT. On the way there, find some way to record your progress- use an app for habit making, write it on your calendar or stick it in your day planner; whatever it takes! We know recording CHANGES behaviors, so let this work for you! Consider scheduling a dentist appointment for a month from now...that should help motivate you! And YES, dentists CAN tell when you start flossing like crazy just a few days before your appointment, so save your poor gums that trauma and start TODAY!

BOTTOM LINE: Make THIS the month you start flossing your teeth regularly!

PS. Like the first of every month, it's time to CHANGE YOUR AIR FILTERS!