New Year’s Resolutions for a Healthier Smile

healthy smile

If you’re like most Americans, you likely can’t count the number of times you’ve vowed to lose weight, increase your income, find love, or otherwise improve your life. And yet fewer and fewer people opt to make resolutions each year. While countless Americans are expected to make resolutions in 2019, fewer than 10% are expected to reach their goals. Of course, just like asking Santa for a pony or the glitziest bauble at Tiffany’s is a waste of a wish for most, many New Year’s resolutions tend to be extreme or complicated ventures that will never actually materialize. Fortunately, dreams of healthy smiles can be achievable resolutions for all with the right outlook and effort. But what are some simple but effective resolutions you can make and achieve to have a healthier smile in the new year?

Brush, Floss, and Rinse

Everyone knows the importance of brushing their teeth, but brushing alone just isn’t enough. Flossing is also important and yet, only 30% of Americans floss daily. Brushing removes stains, debris, and plaque from enamel and gums, but it doesn’t get in between teeth. The only way to do that safely at home is with dental floss. So brush twice and floss once daily. And when you’re done, rinse with a sugar-free, alcohol-free mouthwash or rinse to ensure the mouth is clean and help keep bacteria at bay.

Reduce the Sugar and Improve the Diet

Poor nutrition can weaken the immune system and lead to all sorts of oral health issues including gum disease. This is especially the case when it comes to heavy snacking and processed sugar addictions. Adjusting your diet to include plenty of natural fruits and vegetables can significantly reduce bacteria-causing decay in the mouth while promoting extra saliva and enzymes needed for healthy smiles. You can still have an occasional treat, but focusing on more healthy food options helps achieve healthy smiles and bodies.

Toss the Tobacco

Smoking has declined over 20% since 2005, but almost 38 million Americans still smoke cigarettes. And 16 million of those smokers live with some type of smoking-related disease or condition. Smokers have twice the risk of developing gum disease, and since that progresses so quickly, many long-term smokers end up with advanced stages of the condition and loose or missing teeth before they finally decide to quit. The best thing to do is not start smoking at all. But if you do smoke, decide to quit once and for all. It really can be a matter of life or death.

Visit Your Moorestown Dentist

You could change all the above issues and dental concerns can still arise. The good news is that a single visit to your Moorestown dentist can diagnose the issues, begin necessary treatment to correct or reverse the problems, clean your mouth while you’re there, and even sign off on a good bill of health for the upcoming year. Give us a call when you’re ready to regain control of your health and ring in the New Year with a healthier smile.

Ring in the New Year with a New Smile

cosmetic dentistry

As the holiday season comes to a close, Americans nationwide look towards the future and plan their resolutions. While many Americans make some type of clear resolutions, far fewer actually reach those goals by the time the ball drops again. Self-improvement options are always the most popular resolutions with weight loss and financial improvements heading the pack. Of course, those take a lot more time and effort than most people are willing to accept. You can still win the year by ringing in the New Year with a new smile and your Red Bank New Jersey Dentist can help. But what are some of the most achievable and most effective dental options to help create a new you? 

Professional Teeth Whitening

In-store whitening kits are popular, but those one-size-fits-all claims just aren’t legit. While they can brighten a few shades, they just don’t offer anywhere near the results of in-office dental applications. Moreover, those in-store kits can get expensive and addictive, not to mention cause extra dental issues if they even work at all. Professional teeth whitening can be customized to each patient’s needs, results can be achieved quickly; and it can be as affordable, if not more so, than over-the-counter options in the long run.

Lumineers

Porcelain veneers are the celebrity “secret” to red carpet smiles, but they’re invasive and irreversible. The porcelain shells are about the width of a contact lens and require some prep to affix correctly to existing teeth. Therefore, a small amount of enamel needs to be removed. Once that’s done, the procedure cannot be reversed. Lumineers, however, work just like their veneer counterpart with a few exceptions. They’re about half the width of porcelain veneers, so no extra prep work is required. Enamel remains intact and allows the patient to reverse the procedure if they change their minds or opt for another solution down the road.  

Composite Fillings

You may not have new cavities or need existing fillings repaired. But if you have amalgam (silver) fillings, it may be more beneficial to have them replaced with tooth-colored fillings. Composite fillings use a dental grade resin material that is dyed and cured to match the shade of your surrounding teeth. So say goodbye to metal mouth or spotty smiles. Amalgam fillings also contain up to 50% mercury. And while the ADA insists they’re safe, there’s plenty of scientific evidence to the contrary. If silver fillings have you down, composite alternatives can bring some joy back into your life.

A New Smile Makeover

A smile makeover usually consists of two or more procedures that create a customized new smile for the patient. Your smile makeover may include any number of options including professional teeth whitening and Lumineers, crowns and dental implants, TMJ treatment and dentures, or bonding and composite fillings. Contact your Red Bank New Jersey dentist when you’re ready to discover which options will help you easily reach those resolutions once and for all with a new for the New Year.

New Year’s Resolutions for Good Dental Hygiene

dental hygiene

As another holiday season successfully comes to a close, many Americans still opt to make annual resolutions. The major goal-makers still focus on money, weight, fitness, and other personal improvement options. Unfortunately, most of those resolutions never reach completion and that’s more often than not due to the time, money or effort involved and required in the process. After all, Americans have a love affair with instant gratification and if results aren’t seen quickly, early acceptance of failure sets in. Fortunately, you can easily reach some self-improvement resolutions this year by implementing holistic dental care for better teeth and good dental hygiene. But what are some of the easiest and most effective steps to take towards reaching those new goals?

Get New Supplies

Mass produced brand name toothpaste works well for cleaning the teeth when used properly, but it can also cause unnecessary harm. Excess fluoride and chemicals can weaken the enamel, inflame tissue, and lose its effect over time. Brushing with an old, hard, or wrong type of toothbrush can also cause extra damage or lead to trouble down the road. Tooth powder or tooth serums can whiten teeth, strengthen enamel, promote healthy gums, and fight inflammation without the addition of extra chemicals and fillers. If you still need a paste, try a clay toothpaste. And as for brushing, opting to use an electric toothbrush can be a game changer since the rotary heads are designed to gently clean each tooth, remove more plaque, and massage the gums with less effort than traditional brushing.

Improve Your Diet

This sounds like a no-brainer since many Americans who make resolutions already have weight or health goals. But you don’t have to lose 50 pounds to make a significant improvement in your dental health. Simply improve your diet by cutting out some processed foods, limiting sweets, and increasing the amounts of raw and organic foods. You don’t have to switch to a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle to see improvements in your health. But increasing natural fruits and vegetables while replacing sugary beverages with more water will do wonders to help you reach those resolutions.

Replace Your Fillings

Holistic dental care focuses on a whole-body approach to dentistry while using biocompatible materials that won’t cause the body any unnecessary harm. As such, amalgam fillings are not used. Instead, tooth-colored composite resin fillings are applied. While the ADA has insisted amalgams are safe, the truth is silver fillings contain up to 55% elemental mercury. Excessive amounts of mercury in any form can be toxic, and if the mercury released by dental fillings can cause damage to the environment, just imagine what it can do to the human body while ingested for years.

Visit Your Fort Lauderdale Holistic Dentist

Many bodily conditions and diseases begin with oral health or mouth symptoms. Traditional dentistry focuses on treating the symptom while holistic dentistry focuses on the root cause. That’s what makes holistic dental care a biocompatible, mouth-body practice. Visiting your Fort Lauderdale holistic dentist twice a year can reduce your toxins and improve your quality of life. Give us a call when you’re ready to kick your dental care up a notch.