With all the new regulations and things going on in 2021, there is a lot of change that has happened.  It is now really complicated fights going on and it means that we are all in a fight for health. This can add a lot of extra time during the day due to a lack of driving to work.  It can also lead to better or worse habits due to the change of routine as well.  One area that has been huge is this year is your dental health.  With the change in regulations and now many people have to wear a face mask to leave their home we are noticing our breath and dental health so much more. We need to make sure that we are staying healthy and also taking the right steps to be successful in our health. 

Did you know that in general Americans are not very healthy? It is true and that is what we generally are. We all tell our dentist that we are brushing 2 to 3 times a day, but in reality, the truth is much much less.  It is indeed an average that is below what is recommended by our medical professionals.  The average person brushes their teeth once a day.  This is due to a lack of time and just consistent habits.  The reality is that many people brush before or after they go to work or to bed.  That is the time they are most likely to get into a habit.  I have found that this amount of brushing is not the worst thing in the world.  In fact, as long as you are doing multiple cleaning visits with your dentist each year that is most likely an acceptable amount of brushing. Each of us needs to be in the best health possible.  

It is worth listening to the American Dental Association.   I think that the amount you should probably be brushing on average is twice a day and the ADA agrees.  This is usually done for most people in the morning and the evening before they go to bed.  This time span is usually enough to protect your teeth a good amount.  This amount of cleaning added to a normal routine of visiting your dentist is most likely all you need to prevent major issues.  But if you are still not getting it cleaned and inspected bi-yearly you may be in trouble of missing major issues that could be occurring.  Now with COVID-19 and the pandemic in full swing, I find that it is perfect to up your normal routine and go the extra mile. 

The pandemic in some ways gave us more time at home.  It also gave us much more time to do what we wanted without travel.  t is definitely possible to gain an extra brushing each day especially if you are working from home.  I find that being able to brush up to three times a day is ideal.  If you can add in an after-lunch brushing you can protect your teeth for an even longer amount of time.  It really is a cool thing to be able to keep your teeth protected by your toothpaste for the long haul all day long.  Now it is suggested that you still floss once a day and use mouthwash in order to fully protect yourself.  Best of luck on your health journey.

Life can be amazing and sometimes it can also be a bit painful.  I am never a fan of having to live through painful things for the long run.  It is very hard think aboug going through the feelings that you never want to experience again.  For me, that is the painful feelings I have had with my teeth and some of those were experiences of vomit on your teeth. I am not kidding and that is the sad thing about what I go through.  The detrimental effects that this has on your mouth are the real issue, but the whole experience was rather terrible.  I must say that if you can at all avoid this feeling then you should.  Now I have been sick before, but this time the acid was a bit worse than normal and I think that was due to the circumstances I was in.  So let me go through this terrible story in hopes that it may scare you away from putting your teeth in this bad situation too. There is nothing worse than damaging your teeth and knowing it. 

There are still fun times to be had even with COVID-19 regulatinos in place.   Many of my friends and I started a group chat and we decided to get together.  The plan was to have a get-together at one of my friend’s homes and just be dudes.  So we made plans and we all got child sitters and decided to throw a Hamilton movie watching party.  It was a wonderful idea and we all planned on bringing themed adult beverages.  It was fun to decide what to bring.  My wife and I brought some long island iced tea representing the Boston tea party.  Many people brought other fun-themed drinks and we ended up having a bit of a crazy time for our old ages. 

Now I enjoy a drink every now and then but I am by no means new to alcohol. To be honest,  I usually do not partake of much at a time.  This evening got away from me and the signing began on the movie and we all kept drinking till the night was long.  It turns out that the next morning I would experience a terrible feeling that would last all day.  Indeed I was hung-over but the real issue was that I was sick to my stomach.  My body decided to feel queasy and around 11:00 am my stomach decided to purge the liquids from the night before.  Ya I won’t go into detail and that is just because no one really wants that. This is where dental issues began and it was because of my poor decision-making.  My teeth simply were covered in stomach acid for a good long time and that was not good for me.  

It was terrible. I brushed my teeth and used mouthwash immediately after, but still, the terrible coating was on my teeth and felt as though it was burning.  My stomach acid had started to eat away at my tooth enamel and I know this is very bad.  It can cause major issues and lots of erosion.  I due take lots of calcium magnesium in order to continue to grow enamel but it hurts to feel your teeth being eaten away.  I was unable to get the coating off for another hour. It was just not going away.  So don’t drink heavily for your teeths sake. 

The holiday season brings so many good things in our lives.  Most of us think of family and friends. It is a time to be together and to find common ground even when we have very little or so we think.  But it is also a time for treats, deserts, and for enjoying our seasonal favorite drinks.  The cooking is usually amazing and I know that my family goes the extra mile to make amazing goods for us all.  That is also one of the reasons that we also change up how we cook a bit for the holidays.  We know that cavities are lurking around every corner and become expensive issues when you are older or have multiple children.  So we try to cut out a lot of the sugar and attempt to put in more healthy ingredients.  So let’s go over some of the ways your family can help fight cavities this year.

If your Family is able to think about changing how they cook or how they do their deserts that is amazing.  I know we like to bake more cookies that have less sugar than many other families for dessert, but that is not always the case.  You can simply have everyone eat less, but that seems to never work out as our country only tends to get larger and our traditions get more focused on food.  But if you are able to resist simply try to eat and drink less sugary items this year.  That can keep the plaque from building up and eating away at your teeth.  That in the long run helps to keep those cavities from forming and the pain and expenses away.  So simply dieting and being smart can help in that area.

Another area is simply to drink more water during this season.  If you can do nothing to change your diet or dental routine, drinking water is not a bad way to go.  It allows your mouth to constantly clean and rinse our the extra food and sugar particles and helps to keep them from eating away at your enamel.  This is an amazing thing for your mouth and drinking a glass of water for each other beverage you have is a great way to protect your mouth.  But it not only rinses your mouth but hydrates you as well.

Hydrated humans usually keep up with their saliva production.  That means by staying hydrated and drinking more water you are creating the correct amount of your body’s own mouthwash.  Saliva helps keep your mouth clean and also helps to fight those cavities as well because of it.  So make sure to grab a glass, bottle, or stainless steel mug of water and take it along this holiday season. But there is always the basics that you should be doing as well.

This time of year is the best time to get into a great dental health habit.  Make sure you are brushing twice to three times a day this season.  By doing this you are putting up layers of protection on your teeth and helping to clean away all the bad particles that get stuck there. It is also not a bad idea to do some flossing as well.  The dental sticks are great at allowing this to be done quick and simply.