Archives for May 2017

‘Smile!’. It’s one of the words that gets said during a photo or even if you look the slightest bit sad, but it’s something that strikes fear in the hearts of those who are self-conscious about their oral and dental health. Your mouth is one of the biggest focal points on your face. You eat, speak, kiss and laugh with your mouth and due to it being used constantly, you need to take care of it. It’s not just your teeth, either. Your oral health encompasses your tongue, your gums and your breath. If you are worrying about your teeth being discolored, you first have to figure out the reason why your teeth have changed from white to yellow or brown before you can fix it. Most people make a mistake in thinking that if you brush your teeth every day, your oral health will be in tip top shape. This isn’t the case and understanding how to keep your mouth healthy is important!

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Open any magazine, and you’ll see celebrities splashed across the pages with brilliantly white teeth and perfectly pink gums. You rarely see news articles about the halitosis of celebrities. When you have an army of nutritionists, doctors and dentists at your disposal, it’s very easy to have a beautiful smile and perfectly healthy gums. You were taught from a young age to brush twice a day, floss after meals and rinse with mouthwash to keep those gums healthy. Hopefully, you’ve been keeping that routine up and going but even if you do, you can still end up with oral issues. So, how can you take steps at home to keep your mouth in the best shape it can be?

Visit the dentist. It’s one of the most documented fears, but the dentist is not someone to be afraid of. The fear of the dentist usually comes from the lack of control and the vulnerability of opening your mouth and having someone touch your teeth, which can be sensitive. Some don’t attend the dentist due to the cost. Dentistry can be very expensive and if your insurance doesn’t cover you for treatment then you likely won’t spend the money to get your teeth checked out. Spending time with your dentist will help you identify trauma in the mouth and gums. Diseases such as gingivitis and periodontitis are common in the gums and can be managed and reversed but if you aren’t attending the dentist, you’ll find it to be irreversible.

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Visit the hygienist. Not quite the same as visiting a dentist, but the hygienist is the person who will scale and polish your teeth. This is to ensure plaque isn’t overtaking your teeth and making your gums recede, which is very common in women after pregnancy and as you age. They are specially trained in gum diseases and if you are afraid of your dentist or hygienist, you can have an appointment with sedation to relax you. In extreme circumstances, you can be put to sleep for a dental appointment so that you don’t panic. Your hygienist isn’t just going to clean out your teeth and gums, but they can educate you on your overall oral hygiene and help you to make good choices about how you manage your health.

Change your habits. It’s obvious that everything you eat and drink goes into your mouth. What you may not think about is how your daily habits impact your teeth. Sugar is one of the biggest culprits when it comes to decay in your teeth. Fizzy beverages are always fun to drink, but the citric and phosphoric acid that gives it that edge is making your enamel softer. By swapping your daily fizzy drink habit to just water, you can stave off tooth decay and cavities. Sugar is fuel for bacteria in your teeth and gums and the way to avoid any decay is purely to brush and floss after every meal. Smoking is another habit that is going to affect your teeth, gums and tongue in a big way. Nicotine and tar leave your pearly whites more a murky yellow and they also eat the surface of the gum. Switching your smoking habit for www.vaporescence.com/pages/teleos is a good way to start improving your oral health and also tastes far better. Tobacco can lead to oral cancers so instead of lighting up, find ways to occupy your hands.

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The right tools. You need the right tools for the job when it comes to teeth brushing, and many people don’t understand that their toothbrush may not be right for them. Your brush should last you up to three months, and after that you should be binning it and buying a new one. You cannot use a toothbrush for longer, as the bristles will grind right down and not be effective in cleaning any longer. Soft bristles are the best thing for your teeth, as they are easier on your gums and will still clean your teeth. Blunted bristles will not clean your teeth in the way you need them to be cleaned. If you can invest in an electric toothbrush, do so for definite. You need to use the best tools for the job, else you will find that your brushing is futile. While you’re at it, you should ensure that you use interdental brushes such as these ones so that you can get between the teeth where flossing may not.

Flossing does matter. It may seem icky, but getting between your teeth with floss after meals should be one of the most important parts of your oral routine. It’s a chore, it’s boring but it’s effective. Floss reaches right into the spaces that the bristles of your toothbrush cannot get to and you can get rid of particles of food that otherwise would sit and breed bacteria into your teeth. Carry floss with you at work or outside the house rather than just in the house, as you’ll be eating meals when you’re away from your bathroom sink. You may not be able to brush after every single meal, but you can definitely floss!

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Got milk? You should! Foods that are rich in calcium, like milk, cheese and yoghurt are important for your overall health, but more so for your dental health. Calcium, as you know, is important for your bone health. You can take calcium supplements if you’re not a fan of milk or you are dairy intolerant, and vitamin D is also important for your teeth.

Clean your tongue. Your teeth and gums are always in the forefront of your mind but your tongue should always be considered. Mouth ulcers and cancers are always present on your tongue and cleaning the surface of your tongue daily using a professional tongue cleaner is key. There are countless bacteria that lives on your tongue and these can contribute to bad breath. Curing halitosis is going to be so much more than popping a few minty Tic-Tac. You need to get rid of the bacteria on your tongue to help. Going further back, if you have tonsils that are pitted and scarred from throat issues, bacteria can gather in there very easily. These then form stones which are unsightly and give your breath a bad smell.

Mouthwash matters. You can buy any flavour of mouthwash on the shelves of the local supermarket, but you can buy therapeutic ones that help to fight plaque, prevent gum disease and kill tartar and bacteria in your mouth. These mouthwashes should be used at least twice a day and not after brushing, as the toothpaste coats your teeth. Try and rinse first and brush on waking and before sleeping.

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Your oral health is so much more than teeth brushing. Watching your sugary habits won’t just impact your dental health, but will help your overall wellbeing and weight. Coffee, red wine and chocolate are all things that can stain your teeth easily and if you can avoid bad habits that can impact your oral health, you should. Having good oral hygiene isn’t just going to be a physically good thing, but mentally. Your confidence and self-esteem can be deeply rooted in your smile and if you aren’t confident about your smile then fixing the issue is going to make the difference. Not many people know that gum disease can be linked to heart health, but if you do your research you can see the wellbeing of those teeth in your mouth is going to have a domino effect on the rest of your body.

The mouth is the window into what is going on in your body, but if you don’t take care of it, you’re going to be susceptible to diseases and oral cancers later on. Taking care of your gums isn’t just cosmetic, it’s important. Don’t neglect your teeth.

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When you’ve been trying for a baby, and you’re sick of seeing that negative sign on your pregnancy tests, it can be easy to fall into a pattern of frantic trying, followed by periods of stress and finally disappointment. This is not unusual, and it is perfectly understandable, but it is also likely to be contributing to the problem.

It is much easier to conceive if you are as relaxed and stress-free as possible. Obviously, this is easier said than done, but if you’re currently trying to conceive instead of getting stressed, try these things instead:

Keep a Journal

When you’re stressed out, anxious and depressed, one thing that can really help you to overcome your feelings and get back to a more positive state of mind is writing your innermost feelings down in a journal. The simple act of putting pen to paper can

Help you to understand and deal with your issues in much the same way that seeing a therapist can, and it can certainly help you to stop ruminating over those intrusive negative thoughts that keep you up at night, so give it a try.

Seek Support

Talking to other people who understand what you’re going through, and who can offer you support is a great way to get things off your chest and released some of the pressure you’ve been under. If there are no appropriate support groups in your area, and you don’t have any friends or family members who know exactly what you’re going through, try the internet – there are many lovely, supportive women online who will help you through this issue in a kind and caring way, so that you know you are not alone.

Try TTC Tools

Trying to Conceive tools are as much of a godsend to people who are looking to conceive as affordable fertility treatment. They enable you to track your menstrual cycle so that you can concentrate on having sex when you’re most likely to conceive. Knowing when you’re most fertile can really take the pressure off you and your partner and allow you to relax a bit during the rest of the month.

Spend Some Time Outdoors

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Many women who are having a hard time conceiving lock themselves away from the outside world because they simply can’t stand to see all the happy families and pregnant women in their neighborhood. They aren’t being spiteful or envious – they just find it hard to see the very thing that they want most in the world. This is understandable, but isolating yourself and not spending enough time outdoors will only lead to more stress and depression. Being outdoors, surrounded by nature, breathing in fresh air is one of the best ways to de-stress and once you’ve tried it, you’ll feel much better about the world.

Think Positive

Being told to think positive when you’re having a tough time rarely goes down well, but the people who are encouraging you to do just that are probably right. Sure, telling yourself that you’re going to get pregnant soon might not make it happen, but saying the opposite will only make you more down and that will lead to more frantic efforts to conceive. The stress that comes from that will make it more difficult to get pregnant, and it will become one big vicious circle that you can’t break out of. So, be gentle with yourself, try to be positive and keep at it.

Exercise

Not only is exercise one of the best forms of stress relief, but the healthier your body (and mind) the easier it will be to conceive, especially if you have a little weight to lose. You’ll probably be tired when you’re trying to conceive, but fitting in even just 30 minutes of exercise a day will make all the difference.

Have Fun

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Even though you’re going to be concentrating your efforts in the bedroom on making a baby, you should still take the time to have fun. Take the pressure off and just have sex for the sheer pleasure of doing so once in awhile. Go on dates and enjoy each other’s company too. It’ll make all the difference.

Take a Break

If you or your partner are really having a tough time coping, it is sometimes is better to take a break from your schedule for a little while. If you’re stressed out, things are unlikely to happen anyway, and with just a few days break, you’ll both come back with a new sense of optimism and a relaxed body that is more conducive to conceiving.

Good luck. I hope that you get the news you’ve been longing for soon!