Your mouth is the gateway to overall health in your whole body, so it’s imperative to have good oral hygiene habits. You can’t always reverse damage that has been done, but there are measures that you can create now for an instantly healthier mouth! And as always, schedule a routine teeth cleaning with us at Zen Smiles twice a year.
Bad habits to break
Since gum disease is so widespread, with over half of the US adult population having it, prevention and breaking bad dental habits can save you from a host of other issues such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and low birth weight in infants.
Here are some bad dental habits to break:

• Not flossing
• Not brushing
• Eating an excessive amount of sugar and processed carbohydrates
• Not scheduling routine dental care
• Smoking

Now for the good!
To instantly up your oral hygiene game and impress any dentist — or partner you’re up close and personal with — try out the following approaches!

• Eat your veggies – Consuming raw, crisp veggies such as carrots, broccoli, celery, and cucumber can instantly help your pearly whites. When you eat your veggies, because of their hard textures, it creates a scrubbing action on your teeth, helping to remove leftover food, plaque, and bacteria-laden debris.
• Sip tea – Tea is instantly beneficial to teeth because it contains catechins which are compounds that helps block an enzyme called glucosyltransferase that converts sugars, thus causing cavities. So the next time you meet a friend for coffee, choose tea!
• Get a little rest and relaxation – If you’re stressed, chances are you hold a majority of your stress in the head and neck regions — including your mouth! For healthier teeth and less teeth grinding, destress! This can be getting a facial (or giving yourself a relaxing facial massage), meditating, or just getting more sleep!
• Use a straw – If you’re due for a teeth whitening procedure but don’t want to cause further stains, invest in a straw. Carry a straw around in your car or if you carry a purse, and use it when you drink adult beverages: think coffee, tea, soda, or wine.
• Scrape your tongue – Have you seen the handy “U” shaped tongue scrapers that clean your tongue? Invest in one of these devices for your dental care routine and have better breath (and oral health) to boot. The tongue scraper removes bad, cavity causing bacteria and creates a nice, habitable environment for the good bacteria!
• Chew gum – Chewing gum is great for oral health, but not any ol’ gum — chew a xylitol based gum. Xylitol is a compound shown specifically to aid in oral health. It increases salivation, which effectively reduces cavities and plaque. So after a delicious meal, pop in a piece of sugar-free xylitol gum!

Zen Smiles
If you’ve enjoyed these tips on instant oral health but have remembered you need a routine teeth cleaning, contact our office today and schedule an appointment!

Dental care is self care!