It’s that time of year again! Kids are going back to school and families are trying to get used to new routines. Unfortunately, it’s easy to let our oral health take a back seat when things get busy and schedules change. Let’s take a look at some potential oral hygiene problems that can arise with busy schedules. Then we can look at solutions and ways to prevent potential problems from happening!
Oral Hygiene Problems
- Gum Disease-Lack of good oral hygiene due to changes in routine causes gums to be neglected. Additionally, an increased level of stress also contributes to gum disease.
- Tooth Decay-The prevalence of sugary drinks and acidic foods, especially when studying for long hours, causes an increase in tooth decay. The exposure to these types of food and drink can increase as students put in long hours of studying or when students are making their own food and beverage choices in the lunch line.
Solutions
- Schedule cleaning appointments before students start school or when you know they have breaks or days off
- Avoid sipping on sugary or acidic beverages for long periods of time (like when studying)
- Form good oral hygiene habits around new schedules
- Drink water as much as possible
Although we understand this is a very busy time of year, NOW is the time to give Adams and Cheek Dentistry a call to schedule a cleaning appointment for your children (or yourself!). Please call 919.866.1360 or click here to schedule any dental appointment. We offer late hours, early morning hours, and weekend appointments to accommodate busy schedules.
