To ensure your teeth stay healthy for the summer season, check out these ways to protect your dental health this summer.
Summer is currently here. The sun is out, and the days are warmer. While summer brings seasonal comfort with its warmth, it also tends to disrupt regular routines, including dental routines. Dentists often link the summer season with extra tooth decay and cavities. To ensure your teeth stay healthy for the summer season, check out these ways to protect your dental health this summer.
Opt for Drinking Water
Hotter days trigger more sweating, meaning extra hydration is necessary to replace lost fluids. It can also be tempting to select sugary drinks such as sweet tea, sodas, and ice-cold lemonade to quench your thirst. However, sugary drinks tend to dehydrate you faster while worsening your oral health. When you drink sugar, the bacteria in your mouth obtain that sugar and make acid that erodes your teeth. As a result, you might receive cavities.
If you have trouble drinking water, try limiting your intake of sugary drinks or choosing low-sugar drinks like unsweetened teas, milk, and unsweetened sparkling waters. Slowly sipping sugary drinks keeps the sugar in your mouth longer, providing a great meal for hungry bacteria.
Limit Certain Foods
Another way to protect your dental health this summer is to limit certain foods that can harm it. They include:
- Sweets: This includes cake, pie, candy, ice cream, and all the sugary desserts. If you have a sweet tooth, try to choose fresh fruit over baked goods and candy.
- Dried Fruits: These are in their category because dried fruits are often marketed as healthy foods, not sweets. Most dried fruits contain a significant amount of added sugars in addition to the fruit’s natural sugar content.
- Acidic Foods: Coffee, wine, pickles, citrus foods, and anything with vinegar can cause the enamel on your teeth to wear. Remember, moderation is key!
Protect Your Lips
Protecting your lips is also another method of maintaining good oral health. The skin on your lips is thinner and contains less melanin, making them more sensitive to sunlight and more likely to get sunburnt on sunny days. Excessive sun exposure could lead to skin cancer. To avoid this risk, protect your lips from the sun by using a sunscreen Chapstick with at least 15 SPF.
Go Easy on the Ice Chewing
Do you tend to chew on leftover ice after finishing an ice-cold drink on a hot summer’s day? Chewing on ice might be detrimental to your oral health, leading to the following problems:
- Your enamel protects your teeth from acid, sugar, and tooth decay. If the enamel gets damaged, you are more prone to getting cavities.
- Ice is hard enough to crack your teeth. If you get a broken tooth, make sure to put any parts of the tooth into a cup of milk and contact your Annapolis dentist immediately. Sometimes, cracked teeth can be saved if repaired quickly enough.
- Chewing on ice can also cause some serious damage to any braces or dental fillings you might have.
If you crave ice, try something softer, like a popsicle or ice shavings, but limit the sugar.
Routinely Visit Your Dentist
Routine trips to your Annapolis dentist are necessary so you can protect your oral health this summer. Even when you are busy having fun, keeping up with your semi-annual dental appointments is critical. At Annapolis Dental Care, Dr. Sewell and Dr. Canizales can help guide your oral hygiene habits to keep you healthy. Call us today at 410-267-0766 to book an appointment!
Transform Your Smile with Annapolis Dental Care
Whether it’s a regular check-up you need or a tooth extracted, your dentist in Annapolis is here to serve! Annapolis Dental Care has the expertise and compassion to work with you on improving your oral health. Your comfort and health are our top priorities, and so we go above and beyond to make our patients happy and give them the highest quality care. Please give us a call at 410-267-0766 or visit us online. For more oral health tips for you and your family, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube! We are always looking for new patients, so if you live in Arnold, Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, MD, come on down!