Summer is sunshine, holidays, barbecues and long, fun-filled days. You're enjoying yourself, but your teeth may be paying the price. Your changing lifestyle, routines and activities can impact your oral health in ways you might not expect. You may even find yourself brushing more often in an effort to keep your smile fresh.
At Valley Creek Family Dentistry, we’re here to help you stay on track. Come on in and follow some sneaky but simple summer dental care tips to keep your teeth in tip-top shape, while still enjoying everything the season has to offer!
Best Tips To Read
1. Sweet Summertime: Sugar Is Everywhere
Summer and sweets are heaven-made. From ice and snow cones to soda and ice cream, it's just impossible to get short on sweet treats during the summer months. Delicious, of course, but the ultimate fuel for the germs in your mouth. When germs digest sugar, they release acid and that acid eats away at your enamel, leaving your teeth more susceptible to cavities.
Summer dental tip: Don't leave the candy in your mouth. Rinse with water after consuming candy and brush as soon as you can. Chew sugarless gum off site to neutralize acids until you can brush your teeth.
2. The Endless Snack Cycle
Summer breaks our snacking habit. You will most likely be out of the city on vacation or maybe just returning to the city, so you're going to most likely be snacking during the day and not exclusively chips, fruit roll-ups and crackers. The catch? Snacking during the day gives bacteria that cause cavities and more opportunities to release acid all day long.
Graze less during summer. If you graze, healthy teeth-snacking foods are cheese, carrots, or almonds. And if you graze often, brush after the lunchtime snack, and also brush in the morning and evening.
3. Hot Weather means Dry Mouth
With heat, there is perspiring and, generally, dehydration. You don't even realize your mouth is getting dry, but the situation will become worse if not treated. Saliva works wonders for you in your mouth; it cleans food bits away and protects you from those obnoxious acids that wear your teeth away.
4. Travel Tooth Tips
Travel, road trips, camping and spending the night in the car, can all cause you to forget your usual brushing and flossing habit. It's all too easy to fall into the trap of forgetting or missing your habit when you don't feel you're on a tight schedule.
Pack your basics with you. Also, pack an oral care travel kit and keep it with you, not hidden away in your bag. Alternatively, set an alert on your phone to brush and floss.
Bonus Tip: Replace Your Brush!
Summer is a good time to maintain your toothbrush replacement guide. If the bristles are frayed or it’s been more than 3 months, swap it out for a new one, especially before a trip.
5. Swimmers Caution: Teeth and Chlorine Don't Mix
You might be surprised to learn that regular exposure to swimming pool chlorinated water can have lasting effects on your teeth. Chlorinated swimming pool water is an acidic substance. It would erode tooth enamel if only it had a way of remaining in your mouth, especially for those who take up swimming frequently or for kids who would swallow swimming pool water indiscriminately.
Educate children (and adults!) on the dangers of drinking pool water. Hoping to spit out clean water after a swim. Brushing with toothpaste or flossing after swimming is good preventive care for those who regularly swim.
6. Acidic Summer Foods Add Up
Wine, pickles, citrus fruits, tomatoes and colas are common picnic and barbecue food. Acid dissolves enamel, so your teeth are particularly prone to erosion and tooth decay. Brushing your teeth after consuming acidic foods will even dissolve enamel.
Wait 30 minutes after a meal or acidic beverage and brush afterward. Interpace with water rinse or sugarless gum. Allow the mouth to rebalance naturally first before brushing.
8. Oral Care on the Go
You will not be standing before a sink or before all your dental weaponry forever, but your teeth don't have to be the ones that are riddled. Do it and have it off your back in summer; your oral health has to stand on its own.
Conclusion
Summer is wonderful, but your smile still needs to be defined. The sun, sugar, dryness, and broken habits demand more brushing than ever before and sometimes even more than the regimen itself.
Don't Forget:
1: Brushing twice daily, more often when you snack during the day
2: Flossing once a day, even on holidays
3: Continual and routine water intake
4: Don't let acids and sugars linger in the back
5: Take a dental kit with you wherever you travel
Summer's the perfect time to go for a dental check-up, especially if six months have gone by. Get in early before autumn sets in. Relax, smile on and brush on!
Discover your smile with Valley Creek Dental Care- Your trusted destination!