Along with the lazy, hazy days of summer is an often carefree attitude that comes at the expense of regular routines. Although summer is a great time to kick back and relax a bit, there’s never a time when you should slack off on your commitment to proper dental hygiene. Even if the kids are off from school and you have half days on Friday at work, skimping on the care you commit to when it comes to your teeth and gums can leave you with dental issues you don’t want to have to deal with when the fall rolls around.
Dental Hygiene For Kids
Keeping up with your dental hygiene routine should be relatively easy, no matter how laid back your summer schedule may be. As with other times throughout the year, it’s important to stick to a regular routine of brushing teeth twice per day – once upon awakening and once before hitting the hay. That should be easy to do no matter what your schedule is or where you may find yourself waking up – at home, on vacation or just about anywhere else.
You’ll also want to make sure that you floss teeth daily. This is also simple to keep up with no matter what your summer schedule looks like. In fact, a roll of dental floss is so small that you can carry it with you just about anywhere and floss when needed. It’s a good idea to get into the habit of flossing during your evening brushing routine, since flossing can remove food, bacteria and plaque that gets trapped in hard to reach places such as between teeth and along the gum line. Places that toothbrushes can’t always reach.
One other step you can take during the summer months to better ensure that your pearly whites remain healthy and strong is to schedule a dental hygiene visit at your dentist’s office. With less hectic schedules than other times of the year, it’s easier to find time for most people to make this important appointment. Most dentists recommend that you have your teeth professionally cleaned and your overall oral health checked twice per year, so making one of those visits during the summer months can take care of half of your yearly commitment. Without school schedules and after-school activities to contend with, or other commitments such as the winter holidays, finding time to fit in a visit with your dentist or dental hygienist should be a bit easier.
You’ll also want to keep a few other tips in mind for preserving the overall health of your teeth and gums throughout the summer months. For example, if you engage in any type of contact sport, it’s important to wear a well-fitted mouthguard so that you don’t accidentally lose or chip a tooth. You should also be aware of some of the foods and drinks you consume at this time of year. Lots of sweet, sticky fare – such as many of us enjoy during the summer months – can wreak havoc on our teeth and hasten the formation of tooth decay. However, by sticking to a strict dental hygiene regimen, your summer splurges are less likely to result in a trip to the dentist to have a cavity filled later in the year.
For more information about proper dental hygiene or the importance of routine dental visits, contact Park Dental Care in Queens at 718-274-1515.
