Happy Dental Hygiene Month!

Hi critters, Oswald here!

Happy October and happy national dental hygiene month! Here at the lodge we are celebrating all month long. Dental hygiene month is a big holiday in our family and in our community at Children’s Dental Care. As you all know, we love anything and everything about teeth!!

For this month, we want to challenge YOU! Here is your challenge:

For the month of October, we want to see you brushing and flossing every. single. day. You can keep track of your success by downloading one of our brushing charts HERE.

So, why worry so much about oral health? Oral health is directly related to overall health. It is called the oral-systemic connection. Did you know that heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure can be directly related to the state of your oral cavity? According to “Oral Health in America”, oral examinations can reveal signs and symptoms of more than 90% of systemic diseases. Crazy right!?

Although we want to have shiny white teeth and fresh minty breath, that is just the cherry on top. Our main goal is to maintain a healthy smile for life! So, how do we do that? Easy. Brushing, flossing, and eating healthy! Check out some of our easy-to-follow brushing techniques below:

Brushing:

Step 1: Start by brushing the outer surfaces of your teeth. My suggestion is to start on the top teeth, then move your way down to the lower teeth.

Step 2: Make sure your toothbrush is angled at 45 degrees. Position your bristles to be gently touching your gum line. Gently move your brush back and forth or in a small circular motion to remove any trapped bacteria, food debris, and plaque.

Step 3: Don’t forget the inside! Although you cannot see the back side of your teeth, you don’t want to skip this area. Remember, the back side is just as important as the front side.

Step 4: Make sure you brush the chewing surfaces of your teeth. You can do this by moving your toothbrush back and forth over the tops of your back teeth. This wiggles out any trapped food.

Step 5: Tongues need some lovin’ too! The tongue is a major source of trapped bacteria. Make sure to get the toothbrush over your tongue to remove the bacteria layer that can easily develop there.

Step 6: Take your time! There’s no rush when you brush. Spend a least 2 minutes brushing, 2x a day.

Join us this month (and every month 😉) to celebrate dental hygiene. We encourage YOU to join our challenge of brushing every single day 2x a day.

You’ve got this!

Stay flossy,

Oswald