October Is National Dental Hygiene Month

Welcome to National Dental Hygiene Month! If you really think about it, the real “trick” in the month of October isn’t the trick-or-treaters in the neighborhood. It is that it celebrates both the arch enemy of oral health, Halloween, and National Dental Hygiene Month! I know, right? What kind of dirty trick is going on here?

Let’s be honest. There aren’t many people out there celebrating this month the same way us dentists do. In fact, we are probably the only ones excited about flossing, brushing, and dental hygiene at any time of year! But National Dental Hygiene Month is our truly favorite month of the year. It gives us a chance to celebrate our passion for your dental health without any limitations. Sure, you may get tired of us talking to you about dental healthcare, but now there is no getting away from us. It’s is our month!

This year the American Dental Hygienist Association (ADHA) has come up with a whole new approach to achieving optimum dental health. It is called “Do the Daily 4”.

The Daily 4 are the four habits we want people to get into on a daily basis when it comes to their oral care. We still prefer and encourage you to brush 3 times, floss, rinse and chew sugar free gum, but if you can achieve at least these minimums on a daily basis, we are pretty happy.

All you need to do is brush twice a day, floss once a day, rinse and chew sugar-free gum once a day. That’s it! It may not be ideal, but at least we can tell you are putting in effort. By working on these four small things in your daily routine, you can improve your dental health and overall well-being.

But the Daily 4 isn’t just about establishing good habits, it is about doing so in the right way. Here are the basics you need to do to correctly implement the Daily 4 as part of your life:

Brush twice a day for TWO minutes. Back in the day, it was thought that brushing your teeth for one minute three times a day was just fine. Recent studies suggest a more thorough brushing twice a day is better at fighting plague, cavities and other dental issues. So take a beat and do a really thorough job in order to really get your mouth its cleanest.

Floss. A lot of patients struggle with making flossing a habit, but really ought to work on making this more of a priority. Floss can get into spaces a regular toothbrush just can’t and it is these crevices that have the most issues once they arise. Figure out what makes flossing difficult for you so your dentist can work with you.

Rinse with mouthwash or water. Only a small part of the mouth is teeth, so you need a rinse to fight bacteria in the rest of the mouth. After meal, give your mouth a quick rinse to remove any bacteria in your mouth from digging themselves into a crevice in your mouth.

Chew sugar-free gum. If you are on the go and a toothbrush isn’t handy, chewing on a stick of sugar-free gum is a great way to help cleanse the teeth.

If you have questions or concerns about your daily dental routine, make an appointment today with Dr. Farless at 336-282-2868 or visit our website at www.gsodentist.com.

Dr. Farless also proudly serves Greensboro, Brown Summit, Jamestown, High Point, McLeansville, Summerfield and all surrounding areas.