Dental Resolutions
By Dr. Linda Niessen -- Baylor College of Dentistry STORY: DENTAL RESOLUTIONS SCRIPT #492 SHOOT: 12/10/02
Monday, January 06, 2003
Dental New Year's Resolutions
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It's a NEW year with a NEW chance to develop better health habits. How about some resolutions about your oral health and hygiene, such as: flossing more; to go to the dentist sooner and not later; to cut back on candy and other things that can cause cavities.
Many people make a new year's resolution to eat a healthier diet. That's good! But instead of just focusing on what you put in your mouth, how about directing attention to your mouth itself?
The mouth can give us clues about our overall health. Red, swollen gum tissue can be a sign of other health problems.
Periodontist Dr. Farhad Boltchi, says, "The first symptoms of a lot of diseases show up in the mouth. And also, if an oral condition is healthy then the likelihood of having other systemic diseases is significantly lower."
Here are a few suggestions:
QUIT TOBACCO: Smoking cigarettes, cigars and using spit tobacco can lead to oral cancer and a painful, early death. So make this the year that you stop using tobacco of any kind.
FLOSSING: Flossing removes harmful plaque between teeth where your toothbrush cannot reach. As one patient was heard to say, "At my age, I'm just hoping to hold onto what I have."
SONICARE: Is brushing also a problem? This year invest in a battery-powered toothbrush. We often notice improvement when patients make the switch.
ORTHODONTICS: Braces solve problems that often get worse with every passing year.
My personal resolution is to bring you another year of stories that help you improve both your overall health and dental health. For Baylor College of Dentistry, Texas A & M System, I'm Dr. Linda Niessen.
Dr. Linda Niessen, clinical professor in the Department of Restorative Sciences and the Office of Communications and Development at Baylor College of Dentistry, hosts Dental Health Check, the only weekly dental feature shot on location in the nation.
