As kids return to school, they’ll come home with projects to complete, papers to write, and exams to study for. While working for good grades can be difficult, there’s one test you can ace every time—your dental exam or checkup.
Don’t know what you need to do in order to get positive feedback from the dentist? Here are four tips that’ll get you ready to pass with flying colors!
Be Consistent and Practice
Just like mastering an instrument or a sport requires lots and lots of practice, so does keeping your smile healthy through brushing and flossing. In fact, you must perform oral hygiene habits every day! Fortunately, during the school year, it’s usually easier for everyone in the family to start and stick to a normal routine of brushing and flossing.
In other words, if you want to impress at your next dental appointment, you need to make oral care a daily habit.
Drink Lots of Water
You may have heard or read about how beneficial water is for your heart and other parts of the body; well, it’s good for your smile too! Water not only keeps you hydrated, but it neutralizes oral acids that cause cavities and infection and supplies your body with plenty of saliva to rinse out plaque and bits of food from your mouth.
Choose Your Food Wisely
You’ve probably heard that sugar can cause cavities. Candy, cookies, and other sweet treats are often blamed most, but even foods like bread, crackers, and potato chips can also lead to decay and other problems. As a result, you should limit how often you have these kinds of foods and be careful about the foods you pack in your or your kids’ lunches.
On the other side of the coin, while you should avoid certain foods, you should also eat more of other foods to support a healthy mouth. Fibrous fruits and vegetables, leafy greens, and calcium-packed foods strengthen your teeth and gums against harmful oral bacteria.
Stay on Schedule
In addition to your at-home routine, you need to set a dental appointment every six months for a checkup and cleaning. Even if you aren’t currently experiencing any dental problems, this visit is essential to stay on top of your oral health. Cavities, gum disease, and other issues can creep up without noticeable symptoms, and these appointments are an opportunity to catch and prevent them from damaging your smile.
In the end, your oral health isn’t exactly like succeeding academically, but you can feel like you’ve earned an A when you leave the dentist’s office. By following these tips, you can then focus on performing well in school this upcoming year!
About the Author
Dr. David Thomas owns and operates Seahurst Park Dentistry of Burien. Friendly and compassionate, he has undergone many years of clinical training. In fact, he completed an Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency at the Maricopa Institute of Health Services Hospital. If you would like to set an appointment for your next checkup and cleaning with Dr. Thomas, you can reach out to the office online or call at 206-244-4622.
