Happy New Year from KC Smile in Overland Park! 2018 has come and gone and we hope you were able to achieve everything you wanted to during the year. Now that it’s a new year, we wanted to provide you with some dental health goals to keep as New Year’s resolutions this year. If you are interested in enhancing your dental health and feeling great about your smile, continue reading to see what we recommend your dental health New Year’s resolutions be this year.
Visit the Dentist Every 6 Months
The first dental health New Year’s resolution we recommend to our patients is visiting the dentist every 6 months. This doesn’t sound like doing much but you really are. A lot of our patients think that they can skip the dentist unless they have a problem going on in their mouth. This is not true. Visiting the dentist every six months is to help you prevent problems from going on. For example, we begin your appointment by giving you a complete dental exam with x-rays and a visual examination. This is where our dentist in Overland Park looks for potential problems occurring in your mouth like tooth decay, cavities, gum disease, and even oral cancer. If our dentist happens to find something, they will recommend the appropriate treatment to help stop the problem in its tracks. As a result, your problem will not grow worse which will save you from pain as well as from expensive treatments.
Not only do we examine, diagnose and treat problems every 6 months for you, but we will also clean your teeth. Do you know that plaque and tartar get stuck to your teeth? Well, once the plaque develops into tartar, it can only be removed with dental instruments from your dentist. Without removal, it can turn into tooth decay or a cavity. Visiting us every 6 months is the easiest way to prevent your plaque from turning into something more harmful.
Brush Your Teeth Twice a Day At Least
Your second dental health New Year’s resolution should be to brush your teeth at least twice a day. You might already do this which is great. We have actually had a number of patients who didn’t brush their teeth at night before going to bed and would only brush their teeth in the morning. We want our patients to know, the longer food and particles sit on your teeth, the more likely they can force your teeth to develop cavities and dental decay. We recommend brushing in the morning as well as before bed. If you happen to have a sweet snack during the day or drink an acidic drink, do yourself a favor and brush your teeth afterward. If that’s not possible, rinse your mouth with water as best as you can.
Invest in a Proper Electric Toothbrush
If you are still using a manual toothbrush, make your dental health New Year’s resolution to buy a proper electric toothbrush. Electric toothbrushes brush your teeth much better than a manual toothbrush. The problem with manual toothbrushes is that most people don’t know how to brush their teeth correctly, which results in them leaving food and particles on their teeth. When you switch to an electric toothbrush, even if you are a lazy brusher, the electric toothbrush will remove more than a manual toothbrush would. Not to mention, electric toothbrushes have timers on them which will force you to brush your teeth for the recommended two minutes.
Floss Your Teeth Daily
Another common dental health New Year’s resolution is to floss your teeth daily. You might not know this, but most people don’t floss their teeth regularly, which is pretty gross. Flossing is important for removing food and particles from between the teeth. Without flossing, those particles can get smelly and cause cavities, gum disease, and tooth decay. Whether you use tape floss, string floss, flossers or a water pick, please make time to floss your teeth at least once a day. This will prevent you from gum disease and cavities down the line, not to mention, bad breath.
Explore Cosmetic Dentistry Options
Another dental health New Year’s resolution you can add to your list is to explore cosmetic dentistry. If you are not happy with your smile, why not consider changing it with some of our cosmetic dentistry options at our Overland Park dental office. Whiten your teeth with teeth whitening. Straighten your smile with Invisalign, or perfect your smile with porcelain veneers. Whatever you dislike about your smile, our cosmetic dentist can help you resolve it using a cosmetic dentistry treatment. Let 2019 be the year you fall in love with your smile again.
Replace Your Missing Tooth
Walking around with a missing tooth can make simple things like eating, speaking or feeling confident feel difficult. Make 2019 the year you finally replace your missing tooth or teeth. With our variety of restorative dentistry options like dental implants, dental bridges, full and partial dentures as well as dental crowns, there’s bound to be one perfect solution for your missing teeth. Consult with our dentist to see which one is best for you.
Encourage Your Friends and Family to Take Their Dental Health Seriously
Although this dental health New Year’s resolution is more for the ones you love, you should still add it to your list. Since you are taking control of your own dental health, why not encourage your friends and family to also take theirs seriously? All they need to do is visit the dentist twice a year and take care of their teeth at home to get started. Feel free to direct your friends and family to our dental office for their next visit.
Visit KC Smile in Overland Park For Your Next Dentist Appointment
If you’re ready to grab your dental health New Year’s resolutions by the horns, get started by completing the first step on your list, make two dental appointments for the next year. Give our front office a call or fill out our online form to schedule your next appointment at our Overland Park dental office today.
