Sometimes when making New Years’ resolutions we can overreach and scupper our efforts by deciding on tasks that are too big or broad. Avoid this kind of failure by adjusting habits you already have, so that rather than having to remember and enact a whole new routine, you can gently remind yourself to maintain an adapted one! Read on to find out our top tips for bettering your routine, and discover how small alterations can make for the biggest and most positive changes!

Floss!

If you add one thing to your dental hygiene routine this year, it should be flossing. You might notice that this always comes up on oral health advice  - and for good reason! Flossing regularly reduces gingivitis and tooth decay significantly when compared to brushing alone, and that alone should be enough encouragement! Many people find it frustrating due to it being time consuming, so we recommend taking the time this year to make your dental hygiene routine something fun that you’re not impatiently just trying to get through. Try popping on a podcast or your favorite song to distract your thoughts while you’re brushing and flossing, and you’ll find that you’ll be done much sooner than you think!

Brush Your Tongue

It’s easy to forget, but brushing your tongue actually makes a huge difference to your oral hygiene! Bacteria on your tongue causes bad breath and also mutes your taste buds, so brushing your tongue not only cleans your mouth and helps to fight off plaque, but actually makes things taste better, too!

Be Gentle

In a rush to get our brushing routine over and done with, we can sometimes be a bit overzealous with brushing, which then leads to new problems such as enamel erosion! Take care to exert gentle pressure at a 45 degree angle to protect the surface of your teeth and gums from abrasive bristles!

Eat and Drink Right

Maintaining a balanced diet helps your whole body as well as your teeth, so it’s always a good habit to get into! Inject your meals with nutrient and mineral rich foods such as eggs and leafy greens, and steer clear of carbonated beverages for better overall health and stronger, healthier teeth!

Maintain Consistency

Consistency is the most important aspect of a good oral hygiene routine - you can get your brushing and flossing routine to the perfect place, but unless you remember to do it twice a day for two minutes each session, your progress could be negated!

Upgrade Your Tools

Encourage yourself to maintain good habits by rewarding yourself with the best available tools! Use a toothpaste that contains fluoride, and if possible switch from a manual brush to electric or sonic for a deeper clean. We highly recommend trying out our Sonisk Pulse portable sonic toothbrush, which is not only a cost-effective option for trying out sonic power, but can also be kept on hand for brushing on the go! 

Happy Dry January, everyone! If you have chosen to cut out alcohol this month - well done! While the best thing for your body would be cutting out all alcohol altogether, this isn’t always realistic. Trying out  a month of abstinence can also be hugely helpful in detoxing your body, and what better way to start the new year than happy and healthy? Information about oral health and alcohol often talk about the damages that alcohol causes in the mouth (for more information on this, see our previous blog!) but we thought it would be a good bit of positive reinforcement to talk about the many benefits of cutting and reducing alcohol intake! So read on to find out how taking a break in January actually benefits your oral health…

Hydration Station Activated

As a diuretic, alcohol promotes water loss from the body through urine, which also affects your saliva production - that’s why it sometimes gives you a dry mouth feeling. Saliva is needed to keep your mouth clean and clear from plaque-forming bacteria, sugars and acids. When you reduce or stop alcohol intake, your mouth immediately starts producing more of that much-needed saliva, helping your daily oral health!

Secret Sugars

When we think about cutting back on sugar, our mind usually goes straight to the obvious culprits: sweets, cakes, and snacks. However, alcohol - especially beer and wine - is also packed full of sugar, as well as spirit mixes, especially if they're carbonated. So reducing your alcohol intake also massively reduces how much sugar you’re putting into your body, which is not only better for your overall health but also a huge help in protecting your teeth from cavities and tooth decay!

Pearly Whites

Some alcoholic beverages, especially wine, but also beer, can actively discolour your teeth, leaving them with a brown or yellow hue. Taking a break from alcohol helps to minimise discolouration and maintain your sparkling smile!

What if I’m not dry this January?

If you’re partaking in Dry January, it doesn’t mean all is lost! There are some simple steps you can take to protect your teeth from whatever you are drinking:

• Use a straw! This helps to bypass liquids hitting your teeth, and minimises the amount of alcohol in your mouth.
• Chew sugar-free gum! This will help to increase your saliva production and counteract the diuretic effects of alcohol.
• Drink water! In order to help your body to create more saliva, as well as washing your mouth out from any lingering sugars or acids, take a sip of water between drinks.
• Maintain your routine! If you know you will be continuing to drink alcohol, it’s important to make sure you’re keeping up with your daily brushing and flossing routine. Keep a Sonisk Pulse portable sonic toothbrush on you for a quick brush between drinks, or to ensure that you maintain your evening routine if you happen to stay out!

We often advise people to eat cheese to strengthen their oral health over the festive season - but why? Can a cheese course replace your evening brushing routine? And will any cheese do, or are some cheeses better than others? Read on to find out how cheese helps to maintain your dental health and hygiene, and which cheeses to stock up on for your end of meal cheese board!

How and Why is Cheese Good for Your Teeth?

Phosphate and calcium can be found in any dairy-based cheese, and these work together to strengthen your teeth and bones in the long term. Some cheeses are also good for the immediate health of your mouth and help to neutralise your oral pH levels by increasing your saliva production and coating the surface of your teeth in a film of calcium, which helps to strengthen the enamel!

Choose Your Cheese

The best cheeses for your immediate oral health are hard, aged cheeses such as Cheddar, Gouda, Blue, Swiss or Brie - which is already a wonderfully varied selection for a good cheese course! You can also go for lower-fat alternatives like Parmigiano Reggiano, which is both diet and dental friendly. Soft cheeses are calcium rich, and include anything from mozzarella to soft goats cheese -  these cheeses won’t activate your saliva as well as hard cheeses, but you will still reap the long-term benefits!

Pairing Problems

A pitfall to watch out for is how you pair your cheese - it’s all well and good to nibble on a cube of cheddar, but if you consume it atop a salty cracker you risk losing out on the neutralising effects of the cheese by filling your mouth with bacteria-forming starch! The same issue goes for a sweet pairing: there's nothing quite like a hard cheese eaten with a smear of quince jam, but the latter is full of sugars and acids that can cause havoc in your mouth! We recommend starting off your cheese course with a starchy base or sweet accompaniment of your choice, but then ending with a simple cube of unadulterated cheese to neutralise any harmful ingredients that might have made their way into your mouth!

The Brushing Dilemma

Now to the question on everyone’s lips - does a cube of hard, aged cheese at the end of a meal mean you can skip your evening brushing routine? The answer is easy: No. Cheese is absolutely not a substitute for your oral health routine - otherwise we’d all be nibbling on Gouda before bed! While cheese does help to maintain your dental strength over the long term and balance your oral pH in the short term, there really is nothing more important than a consistent oral hygiene routine. As with any other food or drink, ideally you should wait 30 minutes after eating cheese and then brush and floss with a good quality toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste!