We’ve been talking quite a bit about the ways summer impacts your smile, whether you should consider cosmetic dentistry for a special event, you need dental implants for your best summer experience, or you’re traveling and need some helpful tips for a healthy mouth.
It’s amazing how much the change of a season can affect your teeth and gums! Dr. Gilbert and our team at Bright Star Dental are your trusted source for having a winning smile every season. We hope our blogs so far this month have helped you welcome the summertime with lots of good information for keeping your smile healthy and beautiful.
Here’s one more for you! This one is just a quick list so you can get back to fun in the sun. Here are four rules for winning the summer smile game!
RULE #1: Keep Up With Your Oral Hygiene Routine
We can’t stress it enough, a good oral hygiene routine is one of your best efforts for a healthy smile. Two minutes two times a day… Â that’s what we and the American Dental Association recommends for brushing. You should also floss once each day.
But with everything going on during the summer months, with vacations and cookouts and the kids’ ballgames, it can be really easy to slowly let that routine become sporadic. We want to give you a friendly reminder to do what you can to keep up the brushing and flossing every single day, especially with all the unique risks summer can pose to your oral health.
RULE #2: Be Prepared For Dental Emergencies
If you don’t already know, we’ll say it again! You can trust our team at Bright Star Dental when dental emergencies strike your family’s summer fun. Keep our Las Cruces dental office number stored in your phone so you don’t have to waste any time searching for emergency services in the midst of a crisis.
RULE #3: Avoid These 3 Summer Threats
Okay, rule #1 mentioned unique threats to your oral health during the summer months. Here are three of the most common ways summer can hurt your smile if you’re not careful:
-Dehydration: If you don’t drink enough water, you’ll become dehydrated, which leads to dry mouth. Why does this matter? Because whether you realize it or not, your saliva production is one of your best natural defenses against stains, decay, and enamel erosion. Yes, your saliva is hard at work protecting your teeth all throughout the day without you even noticing.
That’s why it’s important to keep up that healthy level of saliva production, especially during the prime heat of the summer when you’re losing a lot of extra fluid anyway. So drink up!
-Chlorine: What would summer be without a swimming pool? Hot and boring! And what would a swimming pool be without chlorine? Not safe! We know that chlorine is what keeps that pool water safe enough to swim in so that you don’t get sick from all the bacteria.
The only downside is the acidity of pool water can eat away at your tooth enamel. Even if you keep your mouth closed while you swim, it can still seep in there. So just remember to brush your teeth after an afternoon of swimming. Safe splashing!
-Oral Cancer:Â You probably already make a habit of putting on sunscreen when spending time out in the sun to protect yourself from skin cancer. But don’t forget to include your lips in that effort! Excessive sun exposure increases your risk for oral cancer. Protect yourself by applying SPF lip balm throughout the day.
RULE #4: Schedule A Routine Dental Cleaning And Exam
Of course, we wouldn’t let you off the hook without reminding you to pay us a visit this summer! We’re just about to the halfway mark of the calendar year, so it’s the perfect time to schedule your first dental cleaning and exam. If you’re ahead of the game and took care of that back in January, then go ahead and schedule an appointment for your second!
It’s always good to see you at Bright Star Dental! Give us a call today at 575-680-1084, or you can fill our online form for an appointment.