want to achieve peak oral fitness?
Tips from your Personal Training Team While many of our patients work hard to improve their overall health and fitness, even the most physically fit marathon runner may not necessarily have healthy teeth and gums. Achieving peak oral fitness requires adding a few simple techniques to your daily workout plan.
These tooth and gum exercises will take you from so-so oral health to peak oral fitness. Stop smoking. Most people know it's impossible to be physically healthy while smoking, but this habit also impacts your oral health. Smoking can discolor your teeth and lead to increased buildup of plaque and tarter. It also weakens your immune system and can lead to the loss of bone in the jaw. Many types of oral and aesthetic procedures may be less effective if you smoke.
Step up the flossing. People worry that they don't have time to floss every day, but we recommend trying it for a few weeks to see how easily it becomes a habit. Remember that you can floss anywhere – at your desk in a private office, in front of the TV or in the bathroom in front of the mirror. The important thing is to learn to floss correctly and to do it daily. It's essential to good oral health because floss can remove plaque that a brush can't reach, and it also increases blood flow to the gums. Think of flossing like daily weight lifting.
Study your brushing technique. When you first start out in an exercise program, its normal to have to learn the best way to do the exercises. It's the same with brushing your teeth: it seems like a simple thing yet few people get the technique just right without some training and practice. When we look in a patient's mouth, we often see areas they regularly miss when they brush. The right tools can help, too. Studies show electric toothbrushes really help by encouraging people to brush longer and more completely. Even when using a traditional toothbrush, many people may need to bend the brush or find ways to brush hard-to-reach areas.
If you start a new regime of oral fitness, how will you know you've reached your goal? Some of the greatest indicators are common sense. If your mouth is comfortable, cleansable and your gums don't bleed when you floss, you are well on your way to peak oral fitness. Add in a beautiful smile and a healthy diet and you may have reached your goal!