Resolutions to Enhance Your Oral Health

By Jill Feilmeier on January 7, 2014 in Healthy Living

From celebrities to the government, it's raining resolutions. What will be yours?

After jotting down 16 resolutions in his list titled 'When I come to be Old,' Jonathan Swift pens down his last: “Not to set up for observing all these Rules; for fear I should observe none.” Many of our long lists of resolutions sadly remain just that – a list. Instead of penning down a lo-o-ong list, I suggest that this time you make just one resolution: “Take care of my oral health.” Not too high on your priorities? Read on to see how this one resolution can help you achieve three popular resolutions, without even having to write them down!

Smoking

“Cigarette Smoking is Injurious to Health,” screams out every cigarette pack! A very essential step toward oral health is to quit smoking. Tooth discoloration and stains, bad breath due to accumulation of tar and nicotine, tooth decay, periodontal disease that can damage the gums and the bones leading to tooth loss, are all associated with smoking. Quit smoking for that healthy smile.

Weight Loss

Weight loss is almost always high on many a list. Tried all the tricks in the books? Now forget the weight and concentrate on your smile and the pounds will shed automatically. How? A very important part of oral hygiene is to reduce intake of junk food and sugary products as they can cause tooth decay. Now when you take care of this aspect of oral hygiene, you automatically reduce your intake of calories and carbohydrates that are the main culprits of weight gain!

Nail Biting

Anxiety, boredom, or just the lack of a nail cutter – no excuse is good enough to justify a nail biting habit. Apart from the other reasons not to, remember this is B-A-D for your oral hygiene. Consider a few facts: when you bite on your nails you are actually getting in a fair amount of the dirt beneath your nails. You pick up dust and bacteria on your fingers no matter what you do. Unless you have OCD, you won't be washing your hands every other minute; so that makes your nails a breeding ground for bacteria. When this dirt enters your mouth even for a second, bacteria transfers itself. Apart from this, biting on hard nails can damage your tooth enamel, exposing it to decay.

So write this down: “Take care of my oral health” and see how your life transforms!