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Posted on 1/3/2020 by Stephanie Day |
Happy New Year! Welcome to 2020, a brand new year full of new opportunities. Millions of Americans have set the intention to achieve a goal in this new year which is fantastic. This year our hope is that you may include a healthy mouth goal as a new year resolution to focus on. We’ve put together a few ideas to help you achieve a beautiful, healthy smile in 2020!Improve Your DietMany of us have already made resolutions to lose weight this year and from a dental standpoint, we love the focus on a healthy diet due to the impact it can have on your oral health. We always recommend avoiding sticky, sugary foods and opting for healthy, fresh fruits and veggies. If you are going to have coffee, soda or other sugary drinks, we encourage you to rinse afterward to help counteract the damage those beverages can do to your teeth. For those of you who drink lemon water or apple cider vinegar which are both considered healthy, we definitely recommend that you rinse your mouth immediately afterward with water or chew sugar-free gum with xylitol. Many people do not realize that both lemon water and apple cider vinegar contain high levels of acidity that erode the enamel on your teeth. Quit SmokingThere are many great reasons to quit smoking in the new year especially when it comes to your oral health. Smoking stains teeth, causes bad breath, can lead to gum disease and makes it harder for infections in the gums to heal, and even causes cancer in the mouth. Regular Exams & Oral Cancer Screenings Prevention is very important in dentistry and we strongly recommend maintaining your regular dental exam appointments. Usually, we like to see you twice during the year, which allows us to catch any potential issues early. At our office, we also do an oral cancer screening during every comprehensive exam. Commit to Daily Flossing & BrushingOne of the more frequent questions we receive is, “How important is flossing?”. The short answer is VERY. The importance of flossing always seems to be a big point of debate, but from a professional standpoint, flossing is one of the best things you can do daily to help prevent decay from forming between your teeth and to keep your gums healthy. We recommend at least once a day for flossing and ideally twice for brushing. If you can only manage to brush once a day, make sure it is at night, before you go to bed. Upgrade Your GearConsider going electric if you haven’t already as electric toothbrushes, such as the Sonicare or Oral B Professional toothbrushes do more to reduce plaque and gingivitis than a manual toothbrush. A recent review of studies shows that an electric oscillating toothbrush reduced plaque by 21% and gingivitis by 11% over a three month period. If you are going to brush twice a day, make it count by getting the best clean possible! Smile RestorationIf you have remaining restorative work on your treatment plans such as fillings, root canals or crowns; the beginning of the new year is a great time to tackle these items as dental insurance benefits have reset. And if you don’t currently have dental insurance, remember, it will never get less expensive than today to take care of these issues. What better way to accomplish all those big goals in the new year than with a clean, healthy mouth free of decay. Make 2020 your most confident year yet and finally get the smile you’ve been longing for. Whether it be professional teeth whitening, altering the appearance of the shape of your teeth, or even replacing a missing tooth; there are all kinds of options to help you improve the appearance of your smile. If you are interested in optimizing your smile, we’d love to sit down with you for a complimentary consultation to discuss the many options available. From all of us here at Bryan Hill DDS, we hope this new year brings you health and happiness! We look forward to seeing you throughout the year and would love to help you accomplish your healthy mouth goals! Give us a call today if you would like to schedule a comprehensive exam or consultation. |
 Dr. Bryan Hill Dr. Natasha Wilhelm 9671 North Nevada St. ste. 200 Spokane, WA 99218-1146 (509) 505-6303 Hours Mon Tues Weds Thur Fri 8am - 5pm 7am - 4pm 7am - 4pm 7am - 4pm 7am - 2pm |
