Brushing | Dental Benefits | Dental Hygiene | Oral Health | Wellness
Maintaining fresh breath can be a constant battle. One minute you’ve brushed your teeth and all is well, and the next you catch a whiff of your own oral odor from inside a mask or as you’re speaking to a friend. While regular brushing and flossing can give you a leg up on keeping your mouth smelling clean, sometimes you need to cut down on funky smells while out and about. To do that, try one of these five tips.
Dental Benefits | Dental Hygiene | General Dentistry | Oral Health | Teeth | Toothpaste
Choosing a toothbrush seems simple enough, right? But when faced with a seemingly endless array on the shelves, it can quickly turn daunting. It’s an actual cognitive phenomenon that psychologists call overchoice or the paradox of choice — where having too many options makes it more difficult to select just one. It’s possible to overcome this quirk of the human brain, however, when armed with a little bit of knowledge about what your toothbrush needs to do — and how it does it.
Brushing | Dental Benefits | Dental Fear | Dental Hygiene | General Dentistry | Teeth | Teeth Whitening | Wellness
Nothing that gives you joy during tough times is frivolous. With the status of your next dental appointment unknown or up in the air due to global health events, it’s only natural to focus on the state of your smile — it’s a major point of pride, and keeping it looking gleaming and sparkling is a priority for many. While the only safe teeth-whitening treatment is one provided by your dentist, there are some ways you can preserve and prolong the effects at home — and some DIY home remedies you should definitely steer clear of.
Dental Benefits | Dental Hygiene | General Dentistry | Oral Health | Teeth | Wellness
It can be easy to lose sight of when your family’s dental health needs attending to. Between busy days managing a household, work activities and keeping kids on task, the last thing on anyone’s mind is when they should schedule a cleaning. Setting up a dental health schedule for your family can save you the headache of trying to keep track of it all. Whether you plot it out in your bullet journal, set a reminder on your phone’s calendar or have a list written out, a schedule of what needs to happen when to ensure your family’s teeth stay healthy is useful.
Daily
For adults, it’s fairly easy to remember to brush at least twice a day and floss at least once, but keeping kids on track with daily oral care can become daunting. The goal is to get to the point where it’s second nature and requires no prompting.
Some parents find a sticker chart to be helpful in getting their kids trained to remember these important tasks. Every time your young child brushes and flosses, add a sticker to their card. After a predetermined number of stickers, kids earn a reward — either something to make brushing and flossing more fun or something they’ve really been wishing for.
Make a habit to get the entire family brushing their teeth for two minutes at a time upon waking up and just before going to bed to keep plaque, biofilm and bacteria at bay.
Weekly
It’s not a bad idea to take stock of how your mouth is feeling at least once a week. You can do this during your normal brushing time. Take note of any problems or issues you might be experiencing. For example, has your breath been a little more aromatic in the past week? Have you noticed new staining or sensitivities?
A weekly check-in with yourself can help you keep track of any emerging problems and ensure you get timely care for any issues that may arise. Check in with your kids and spouse weekly, too. This is also a good time to discuss any concerns and keep an ongoing dialogue open about oral health and wellness.
Monthly
While oral cancer can strike anywhere, certain habits put you in a higher risk category. For example, if you haven’t been able to quit smoking, vaping or chewing tobacco, it’s a good idea to perform a self-check for early signs of oral cancer at least monthly. Take a good look into your mouth for any changes in color, cuts or lesions, swellings or growths. If you see anything out of the ordinary, make an appointment with your dentist as soon as possible to have it checked out.
Quarterly
Go toothbrush shopping at least once every three to four months — sooner if your brush’s bristles start to fray or you experience an illness involving your ear, nose or throat. You can check this one off your list by buying brushes or electronic toothbrush heads in bulk for the year all at once or signing up for a subscription box or service that keeps toothbrushes automatically delivered to your home.
Semiannually
Schedule a cleaning and checkup with your dentist’s office once every six months. Some dental offices allow you to schedule an entire year’s at once, while others use scheduling software that only allows you to book an appointment a certain number of months in advance. Go ahead and plan out your family’s dental appointments or when you need to call in and make them in your own schedule, planner or calendar software to have an easy reminder.
How We Can Help
The office of Drs. Krieger and Hur is currently closed due to ongoing concern for the health and safety of our patients and staff, but we look forward to the day when we can see you in our office again. While we aren’t currently available by phone to take requests for appointments, you can reach us via email with questions or requests for appointments looking into the future by clicking here.
Brushing | Dental Benefits | Dental Hygiene | Oral Health | Teeth | Wellness
Self-care isn’t always lighting a candle and drawing a hot bath while brewing your favorite cup of tea. Self-care is sometimes choosing to actively and mindfully focus on improving part of your health, and one of the simplest ways to be more proactive is remedying commonly overlooked minor dental or oral health issues. While you may not be able to get into your dentist’s office, you can make plenty of self-care power moves for a fresher, cleaner, healthier smile at home.
Dental Benefits | Dental Fear | Dental Hygiene | Oral Health | Wellness
All water isn’t created equal — different mineral contents and additives lend this staple beverage different tastes. And it’s the different taste, along with the purported benefits of certain kinds of water and the grab-and-go convenience, that have helped give rise to a bottled water industry that’s worth over $300 billion. While water is and always has been the healthiest option for you — for both your overall health and that of your teeth — trendy bottled waters may actually be doing more harm than good.
Dental Benefits | Dental History | Dental Hygiene | Oral Health | Teeth | Wellness
There’s an obscure, fun holiday for nearly every occasion, and celebrating your favorite dental professionals is no exception. Two holidays that give you an excuse to say “thank you” to the people behind your stellar smile exist in the month of March: National Dentist’s Day and Dental Assistants Recognition Week.
Braces & Invisalign | Children | Dental Benefits | Dental Hygiene | General Dentistry | Oral Health | Teeth | Wellness
Raising kids is busy work. Parents of infants know how easy it is to get caught up in the day-to-day routine of ensuring baby is happy, healthy and developing properly. Moms and dads of toddlers and preschoolers are always on the go, seemingly doing it all with little to no sleep. Parents with school-aged children are swept up in spirit days, snack duty and extracurricular activities, while parents of teens may be left wondering where all the time went as they tackle broken hearts and college entrance exams.
Brushing | Dental Benefits | Dental Fear | Dental Hygiene | Oral Health | Teeth
Whether you’re looking for a couple’s date idea for you and your significant other for Valentine’s Day or are single and looking to kick up your dating life, a trip to the dentist can be a practical way to get things going. While it sounds as far from romantic as you can get, science has proven time and time again that good oral health can improve your romantic prospects and launch your love life into high gear.
Dental Benefits | Dental Hygiene | Dental Implants | Oral Health | Oral Surgery | Teeth | Wellness
Not even a decade ago, the world of 3D printing in dentistry sounded a lot like science fiction. Today, you can walk into your dentist’s office and have your mouth scanned and get a completely customized device fit to your unique mouth printed from a computer. Although it’s still hard to believe how far technology has come, 3D printing is becoming more and more commonplace in the dental industry — streamlining treatments, saving costs and creating a better fit for patients.
