Five Dental Care Tips to Protect Your Oral Health in the Summer
Summer is a time of fun and frolic, giving you a break from your regular routine. The free time gives you time for resting, relaxation, and enjoying yourself. Unfortunately, it can also affect your health, especially oral health, if you overlook essential parts of your routine and dental care.
When enjoying yourself in the summer, you must ensure you or your family members follow some dental care tips and not go overboard with your enjoyment. To safeguard you and everyone in your family, we suggest five dental care tips for your oral health this summer.
Do Not Travel Without Your Toothbrush
The excitement of driving to your favored destination for a road trip or flying abroad to a location you always wanted shouldn’t keep you from packing your dental kit, including your toothbrush and toothpaste, to ensure you have the tools to clean your mouth after every meal. If you think your home kit is bulky, consider shopping for travel-sized toothbrushes and toothpaste. Convenience stores also provide a travel kit to cover or protect the dental travel kit. You can pack the gear in your hand luggage or stash it in your backpack or purse between uses.
Do Not Forget Dental Floss
When traveling by road or air, you locate different foods that catch your fancy and encourage you to have a quick bite. Trying various delicacies in other localities or abroad is not a crime. Unfortunately, the foods have a common habit of remaining trapped between your teeth at a time when you tend to stay forgetful about essential tasks because you are enjoying yourself. Have a good time without letting food debris in your teeth accumulate plaque to encourage bacteria to deposit acids
Bacteria from dental plaque can cause enamel erosion and lead to the development of cavities. Instead of ruining your holiday because of a toothache from a hole, maintain optimal dental hygiene by flossing your teeth once daily, regardless of when you do it. If you tend to remain forgetful, floss your teeth before brushing because flossing loosens trapped food debris from the teeth, making it easier for you to eliminate all plaque on and between your teeth.
Protect Your Mouth with These Seasonal Foods
Summer is when you might think you can have all the sticky and starchy foods thinking the hot weather will not allow such foods to remain on your teeth. Unfortunately, you are committing an error because your teeth usually function like every day without considering seasonal changes. In reality, your mouth bacteria find summer an excellent season to deposit acids on your teeth because of the lack of saliva in your mouth.
Instead of choosing sticky foods, you favor yourself and your family by selecting nature’s toothbrushes like apples, celery, and carrots, crunchy with plenty of vitamins and minerals to nourish everyone’s bodies and clean your teeth. However, they don’t substitute brushing & flossing with toothpaste containing fluoride because they can help you keep your teeth cleaner and healthier when snacking on different foods.
Avoid Sticky Foods
If you think you can have sticky foods during summer as a one-off practice, please remember the foods you have remain trapped on your teeth as you chew them. The dentist in Worcester, MA, recommends avoiding sticky foods and preferring the seasonal foods mentioned above as beneficial for oral health. If you must have sticky foods, consider choosing sugar-free options using xylitol as a sweetener in place of sugar because it can benefit your dental health. Xylitol neutralizes the pH balance of your mouth over time, making it challenging for bacteria to attach themselves to your teeth. In addition, it also prevents bacteria from forming cavities on your teeth that might require rushing to the local emergency dentist for a mouth checkup. Instead of wasting money and time on dental visits during your vacation, why not adopt the steps suggested to benefit your oral health?
Do Not Forget Dental Appointments upon Your Return
Upon your return, you must ensure you arrange a dental appointment for the entire family to receive regular teeth checkups and exams. The dental visit helps you and your family remain on top of your dental and overall health by examining your teeth for conditions you might have developed and cleaning to remove plaque and bacteria that constantly accumulate on the teeth.
You can undoubtedly enjoy your summer vacation without spending time and money in dental offices with professionals you are unaware of instead of enjoying yourself looking at new sites and locations if you follow the dental care tips this article suggests for your oral health.
Consider calling Tatnuck Family Dental Care to arrange an appointment with an experienced dentist who can help you care for your teeth before starting your vacation and clean your teeth after you return to improve your dental health.
