Get Oral

Proper dental hygiene is crucial to a health life. It’s not an exaggeration. Yet, it’s amazing how many people blow of a visit to the dentist—which is supposed to happen twice a year. We get it. Many health insurance plans don’t cover dental; it’s a separate plan that one must purchase. Regardless, you need to keep your chiclets healthy!

Here’s what you expose yourself to if you don’t take care of business:
Heart disease
Respiratory infections
Alzheimer’s disease
Diabetic complications
Periodontal disease
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Dr. R. Craig Miller is a dentist and author of Get Back Your Smile, Take Back Your Life! He says many parents don’t prioritize their own health care, and that causes problems. Here are his tips for good oral health:

Prioritize your oral care. Miller says that starts with recognizing behaviors that undermine self-care, or in effect, people putting themselves last. “Parents just get caught up in their daily family life,” Miller says. “When it isn’t family, it’s work. Self-care takes a back seat to everything else.”

Regular brushing and flossing. People with good oral hygiene spend less on health care overall. “Proper brushing and flossing can turn back the clock on gum disease. Oral hygiene has a direct impact on the mouth’s microbiome, which is the balance of organisms that keep decay at bay. Without good oral hygiene, the mouth is at risk for developing periodontal disease — the leading cause of tooth loss in adults.”

Commit to a healthier diet. Excess sugar is one of the primary culprits of plaque, a sticky deposit on the teeth in which bacteria proliferate. “Without eating healthier foods and having good levels of vitamins and minerals in the body, good bacteria turn to harmful, which leads to tooth decay.”
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Stick with the program. “Dental treatment alone offers no guarantees for the long term,” Miller says. “The patient is the key person in the whole process. Successful outcomes rely on the patient to be a member of the care team.”

Crack Wise-dom:
Grab a toothbrush and toothpaste. Floss. And go see the dentist. Seriously. You get a free goodie bag with a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss every time. Win!

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