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Sunday, January 01, 2012

Happy New Year! Some Dental Resolutions for the New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone! May it be happy, healthy and prosperous!

Just wanted to give some dental resolutions that could be implemented with a little effort to ensure a great smile for the New Year:

  1. Brush 2 minutes twice a day...yes, I said 2 minutes (not 1 minute or 30 seconds or once a day). It really does take that long to clean the majority of surfaces your mouth decently.
  2. Floss...yes, I know you tend to do it before dental appointments. However, 40% of your teeth are not being cleaned if you don't do it and a substantial percentage of cavities start in those areas
  3. Clean your tongue. I would say 95% of patients don't do this. A couple of quick swipes on the tongue is usually enough.
  4. Reduce your intake of candies/sweets: it will reduce the incidence of cavities, improve your blood sugar and weight.
  5. Drink more water. In moderation, this a great thing, especially after staining drinks like coffee, tea and wine. Want to reduce all that coffee/tea stain between hygiene appointments? Take a sip or two of water after you finish your drink.
  6. Regular maintenance appointments. Seeing your Doc/Hygienist for a checkup and scaling is truly the dental version of the oil change. Prevention is always the best option.
  7. Get things fixed while they are small (don't procrastinate). Dentistry seemingly operates on an exponential cost scale as things get more involved and complex. Getting a restoration that costs a couple of hundred dollars (and is usually covered by insurance) is much better for you and your pocketbook than letting it turn into a multi-thousand dollar root canal/core/crown or implant
Again, all the best for the New Year! :) We will be back to normal operations on Wednesday Jan 4.


Hans Skariah, B.Sc., DMD
Promenade Court Dental Health Group in Mississauga
2233 Hurontario St., Mississauga, ON, Canada
(1/2 km north of the QEW in the Dome Building)
(905) 273-7100