Dental Habits You Should Break

As the New Year approaches, it’s a good time to look back at the year and think about all of the accomplishments you’ve made and aspects of your life you may want to try to improve for the next year—popularly known as New Years’ resolutions. Typically, these resolutions involve making lifestyle changes that will improve your livelihood in the new year. Some of these lifestyle changes may involve breaking bad habits you may have developed during the year. Do you know if you have any negative dental habits? Some general negative dental habits include chewing on hard foods and objects, and using teeth as tools to open or cut things, but here is a couple of the most popular bad dental habits that you should break if you currently have them: Improper Dental Hygiene Practices The average length of time people spend brushing their teeth is 45 seconds. Did you know that the recommended amount of time you should brush your teeth is 2 minutes? A large majority of patients fall short of this time fairly often, and many don’t even realize how far off the mark they are! To break this habit, try to set a timer while you brush, or listen to or hum your favorite song to pass the time. Neglecting to See the Dentist Many patients decide that there’s no need to see the dentist if their teeth look and feel fine. In fact, a percentage of patients wait until a clear dental symptom or complication emerges before they schedule an appointment. It’s important that you visit our office at least twice a year so we can examine your teeth and gums for early signs of decay and disease and perform a thorough dental cleaning to remove plaque that can cause decay. Visiting our office even if you believe your teeth are perfect condition will allow us to perform preventative measures to make sure they stay that way.