People spend a majority of their days outside the home for either work or school, and neglect the state of their dental health for most of that time. Dentists always tell their patients that brushing twice a day is enough, but the fact of the matter is that dental care is a 24-hour responsibility. Patients should always be conscious of the state of their teeth regardless of where they are during the day.
Now, no one is saying that patients should constantly be thinking about brushing their teeth, but they should adopt a set of habits that encourages dental health. Cultivating these habits should begin at home where there is more control, slowly expanding to outside areas in small increments.
Rabbit Food
The first thing patients can do – as cliché as it sounds – is eat healthy. Most of the food that mainstream nutritionists consider as ‘healthy’ contains fewer sugars, posing a smaller threat to teeth. The best time to apply this strategy is when patients are young; it is easier to build good habits without having to break down old and bad ones first.
Running along the same line of thought, another good habit is to begin including fruits and dairy in a packed lunch. The fruit will satisfy any cravings for sweets, and the milk will help keep teeth stay healthy and strong. A carton of milk or some string cheese should do the job quite nicely.
Group Brushing
The strongest form of habit reinforcement, however, is still repetition, which is difficult to keep up with. Fortunately, there is one way patients can ensure that they maintain the daily ritual of taking care of their teeth – doing it in a group. People are more likely to do something when everyone else is doing it, and having more people involved will include more heads to remember it as well.
There is no need for patients to remember dental hygiene as long as they build the right habits that encourage dental health. If you want to get more helpful advice about how to improve your oral health, don’t hesitate to contact us today. Our staff is more than happy to set an appointment and answer any questions you might have.