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Just like your nails, a well-manicured mouth looks tidy and well cared for, and there are lots of little things you can do to improve your oral health. Even better, these changes are easy to fit into a busy lifestyle.

Brush Gently and Don’t Scrub

Resist the temptation to scrub your teeth too hard as you can wear away tooth enamel and even gum tissue. Instead, use small circular movements and a soft toothbrush to clean your teeth thoroughly.

Avoid Fizzy Drinks

It might be hard to do at this time of year, but try to minimise your consumption of fizzy drinks. These drinks contain huge amounts of sugar and often phosphoric and citric acid that can soften and erode tooth enamel. Plain water is the best way to hydrate and especially during warmer weather.

Brush after Meals

Brushing your teeth after eating is the best way to prevent food and plaque buildup. However, wait at least half an hour after eating as this gives your mouth a chance to recover so acidity levels can normalise. Otherwise, you will brush softer tooth enamel that is more easily damaged. Don’t forget to floss once-a-day, preferably just before bedtime so you go to sleep with a clean mouth and you’ll wake up with fresher breath too.

The holidays can get busy, but it is possible to maintain a healthy smile with these easy tips.

Eat Plenty of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Tasty fresh fruits and veggies are everywhere and are packed with antioxidants, vitamins and other essential nutrients. Additionally, chewing crisp fruits and vegetables can help to scrub away some plaque from teeth.

Quit Smoking

This year, make sure you stick to your New Year’s resolution to quit, and your teeth will love you. Smokers are more likely to develop gum disease and cavities, and the risk of oral cancer is higher.

Don’t Drink Too Much Alcohol

Alcohol can negatively impact oral health, drying your mouth and increasing the risk of tooth decay and gum disease. Also, when you drink too much, you are less likely to brush your teeth regularly.

Brush Twice Daily and Floss Once Daily

A regular brushing and flossing routine is so simple and quick and helps protect your teeth against dental disease. You only need to spend a few minutes each day caring for your teeth and having a healthy mouth protects your overall health too. If you’re not sure you are brushing and flossing correctly, we’d love to help you. We can show you lots of easy techniques to brush and floss thoroughly.

The summer is a time when many of us will enjoy trips away or spending time with friends and family. However, these events can impact dental health. We’ve listed a few summer tips for enjoying healthy teeth, no matter where you are.

Stick to Your Routine

When staying up late for summer parties and celebrations, it can be tempting to skip brushing, but it only takes two minutes to brush your teeth thoroughly and another few minutes to floss properly. If you have kids, it’s even more important to make sure they stick to their regular oral care routine. You could try brushing alongside them, so the entire family have healthy mouths.

Travellng out of town.

If you are travelling out of town and require a dentist we suggest Aesthetik Dental in Geelong.

Give Sugary Drinks and Snacks a Miss

As the temperature rises, it’s tempting to cool down with sugary juice or fizzy drinks, but these aren’t the best way to quench your thirst. Instead, choose water or milk. Snacking smarter will help protect your teeth so avoid sugary foods and instead opt for crunchy fruits and vegetables, cheese or sugar-free yoghurt or dip.

Plan for Your Back-To-School or Back to Work Dental Appointments

Start the New Year with a healthy mouth and plan your back-to-school or back to work checkup now. Booking your appointment sooner will help you get ahead of the rush.

Most people take saliva for granted and swallow it without even thinking about it, but it can provide valuable information about your oral health and overall health. Each day, we swallow nearly two litres of saliva, and it’s a liquid that has important properties. Spit has buffers neutralising acids, reducing your risk of tooth decay. It washes away food particles and bacteria, helping to prevent gum disease. However, there are lots of reasons why you may not produce enough high-quality saliva.

Dry Mouth

Dry mouth is a common problem, and many medications reduce saliva production, causing this issue which is called xerostomia. Sometimes, your GP can adjust your medications to help fix the problem.

Oral Thrush

Oral thrush is a yeast infection that can turn your saliva cream-coloured or white, and it’s caused by an overgrowth of Candida albicans, a type of fungus. Medication can help to clear up this condition.

Systemic Conditions

A reduction in saliva production is sometimes associated with systemic diseases and particularly Sjogren’s syndrome, which is an autoimmune disorder where the body attacks the saliva glands.

If you don’t produce enough saliva, ask us for help as we can provide useful advice on how to maintain a healthy mouth and you might benefit from more frequent professional cleanings.

TMJ disorder can develop if your upper and lower jaws are not in the correct relationship to each other, placing stress on your facial muscles and your jaw joints, called temporomandibular joints. It’s a problem that can cause inflammation and jaw pain, chronic headaches, earache, and you may clench and grind your teeth, an issue called bruxism. Facial pain can spread into your neck and shoulders. If you have noticed jaw or facial pain, we can help you.

Treating TMJ Disorder

Neuromuscular dentistry helps to realign the jaws correctly, reducing the stress on your facial muscles and your joints, which in turn reduces the inflammation and pain. TMJ disorder frequently causes bruxism, so one way we can help you is by providing a custom mouthguard worn during sleep. The device is designed to fit over your teeth, placing your jaw in a more relaxed position and preventing you from clenching and grinding. Another possible treatment is Botox injections. Botox helps facial muscles to relax so your jaw is more able to rest in the correct position. It is a nonsurgical procedure that produces minimal discomfort and Botox is administered using very fine needles. The effects last for several months.

A healthy and attractive smile is such a huge asset, and your teeth and gums deserve a little tender loving care. You don’t need to spend a terrific amount of time or money maintaining a healthy smile.

1. Practice good oral hygiene as if you are dedicated to keeping your mouth healthy, it will show. Make sure you brush your teeth at least twice a day and floss once-a-day, and it’s a simple routine that will only take you a few minutes every day.
2. Visit us regularly as professional preventative care is essential. We can carefully screen your teeth and gums for any changes in your dental health, and if needed, will provide suitable preventative or restorative treatments. Regular hygiene appointments keep your mouth super clean, reducing your risk of gum disease and tooth decay.
3. Eat healthily and if you have a sweet tooth, make sure you enjoy your sweet treats as part of the main meal. Every time you eat sugar or carbohydrate-rich foods, bacteria in your mouth will thrive, so the more frequently you snack on these foods, the greater the damage to your teeth and gums.
4. Drink more water as it hydrates and lubricates the body and helps to keep your mouth clean and fresh. Also, your body needs plenty of water to produce saliva.

Many families are looking forward to Halloween, but if your kid wears braces, they do need to take care. They can still enjoy this celebration, but it is important to avoid certain foods and snacks that could damage braces.

Sweet Treats That Are Best Avoided

Sticky sweets like caramel, gummy bears and taffy are incredibly difficult to remove from braces and can get stuck in between brackets, bands and wires. Very hard sweets like lollipops, sweets containing nuts, chocolate covered pretzels and caramel covered apples can all be problematic for braces and can easily break wires and loosen brackets. Popcorn is often overlooked but can be very hard, especially if you inadvertently bite on an unpopped kernel. Also, pieces of popcorn can become painfully lodged between teeth and braces.

Sweet Treats to Enjoy with Braces Safely

Even though certain things are off the menu, there is still lots to enjoy. Treats that can be eaten safely include peanut butter cups and chocolates that will melt easily and don’t require much chewing. Baked goods such as pumpkin cake or pie, or ice cream and milkshakes are all safe to eat with braces. Alternatively, you could decide to skip the sweet treats entirely and to hand out small toys, stickers, crayons and other inexpensive items. These will be a nice treat for all those kids wearing braces this Halloween.

The thought of all those Halloween goodies can be scary, but with a little creativity, it is possible to include some healthier options in the mix.

• Fill up your kid with a healthy meal before trick or treating, which can reduce the temptation to eat too much of the sweet stuff.
• Purchase or make a smaller collection container for your child to take around and encourage them only to take one sweet treat from each house.
• Instead of driving kids around, walk from house to house so everyone gets some exercise and you’ll also get to appreciate all the Halloween decorations more easily.
• Check all edible items carefully before letting your kid eat anything. Discard items that are beyond their sell-by date or which look questionable.
• Talk to your child beforehand and decide how many sweets they can take and eat and encourage them to think about the consequences of eating too much!
• If you have too many treats, donate them or freeze some favourites, or use them in baking.
• If you are staying at home and are handing out treats, include healthy choices like nuts or pumpkin seeds, sugar-free chewing gum, snack boxes of dried fruit and fresh juicy clementines or oranges decorated to look like Jack O’ Lanterns.

At this time of year sales of sweets are soaring in preparation for the sugar-fest that is Halloween.  But it is only once a year, and with a bit of planning, you can have your cake, or sweets and enjoy them too.

Chew on Chocolate

Chocolate is soft and melts easily, but it is better to chew it and not suck it. When you suck on chocolate, it takes longer to melt and is in contact with teeth for longer, increasing the risk of cavities. Generally, chocolate is a good choice for Halloween treats because it won’t last very long in the mouth.

Slurp Don’t Sip Fruit Juice or Fizzy Drinks

Fruit juices and fizzy drinks are terrible for teeth, but the sooner you guzzle them down, the better as it reduces the time your teeth are bathed in sugars.

Sticky Sweets are Worst for Teeth

Sticky sweets like caramels, taffy and toffees are terrible for teeth. They take ages to eat, and once you finally swallow the last sugary fragment, you can be sure plenty more remain trapped on and between your teeth.

After eating anything sweet, rinse your mouth with water and wait half an hour before brushing. It allows acidity levels to normalise in your mouth, reducing the damage to your pearly whites.

When you meet someone new, your smile is one of the first things they notice, but it takes a bit of dedication to have a healthy and attractive smile. We’ve listed a few easy tips to help improve your dental health and the appearance of your smile.

1. Floss every day, as flossing removes plaque and food debris between teeth and just underneath your gum line, where a toothbrush cannot reach. Daily flossing prevents gum disease and tooth decay.
2. Book twice-yearly visits to our hygienist here at One Smile. Routine dental cleanings help to keep your teeth and gums in great shape, removing plaque and tartar buildup that can otherwise cause gum disease. Also, having your teeth cleaned professionally leaves them looking sparkly and your mouth feeling beautifully fresh.
3. Quit smoking as it stains your teeth and increases your risk of developing gum disease. Smoking gives you bad breath and is terrible for your health on many levels.
4. Reduce your consumption of coffee, tea and red wine as these drinks can stain your pearly whites. Otherwise, drinking through a straw can reduce the staining effect on your teeth.
5. Drink plenty of water as it’s great for your smile and body.

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