Quitting Smoking And Other New Year Resolutions To Benefit Oral Health

Quitting Smoking And Other New Year Resolutions To Benefit Oral Health

The Foxhall Dental team takes a look at new year resolutions that can help improve your oral health.

Did you make any new year resolutions this year? If you have, how many have you already broken? New year resolutions may not seem as prominent as they used to do, perhaps overtaken by the constant stream of information and entertainment that we receive via social media. They can still be very useful though.

What better time than the start of a new year to take stock of our lives and to make some changes that will improve them on a daily basis. Many of us know that there are things that we really should change. It’s just that making these changes can be difficult and sometimes perhaps seem too challenging for them to succeed.

Not all new year resolutions have to be extreme though and sometimes, a few small changes can make a big difference. In today’s blog, we are going to take a look at how patients of our Ipswich dental practice can take advantage of these, and suggest a few changes to your lifestyle that can help you have a healthier mouth in 2025.

Stop smoking

Although smoking may not lead directly to well known problems like tooth decay, it is one of the most destructive things to affect our oral health. In addition to the cost of smoking and the well known general health problems that it can cause, it can also have a huge impact on our gums and the soft tissues of the oral cavity in general.

The most common problem to be associated with smoking and oral health is gum disease. In addition to any irritants found in cigarette smoke which can cause any minor injuries or infections not to heal as quickly as they should, smoking also causes us to have a dry mouth. As you will know from our blogs discussing gum disease, a dry mouth causes bacteria to thrive in our mouth, reproducing faster than we can remove them through brushing. Anyone that smokes is likely to suffer from gum disease and we are likely to recommend more frequent visits to the dental hygienist to help minimise any damage that might be caused by this habit. Remember that gum disease is not only unpleasant, causing symptoms such as sore gums and bad breath, but can result in lost teeth once periodontitis takes hold.

The other major problem associated with smoking are oral cancers. These can be life changing or even life ending in some instances. It really isn’t worth the risk.

It may be the hardest new year resolution to keep, on this list, but it is one that, if kept, will probably make the biggest improvement to your life.

Check your brushing

Most of us brush our teeth twice a day as part of our daily routine. It is a good idea to stop and check how well you are doing this though. What does your toothbrush look like? Are the bristles worn out? Changing your brush or brush head every three months will help to enable the bristles to remove bacteria and food particles more efficiently.

One thing that we would like you to do is when you brush your teeth next time, do so using a timer on your phone or other method. You should brush for two minutes each time, and that is two minutes of brushing and shouldn’t include any conversations etc during that time. A couple of minutes doesn’t seem long but we are fairly sure that many of you will be falling short and it may surprise you by how far. Keep up the timing of your brushing for several weeks until your brain has memorised this length of time. It is still a good idea to check from time to time afterwards too.

Be more mindful about what you drink

This isn’t just about alcohol which, like smoking, can contribute to gum disease and mouth cancers, as well as damage to teeth through accidents when too much has been consumed. We are talking about everyday drinks here.

Many of you reading this will probably drink soft drinks, or energy drinks. These contain not only high levels of sugar but are also often acidic too. This acidity can damage your tooth enamel and cause  it to erode. This will eventually expose the inner part of the tooth and decay and root canal infections may follow.

Coffee drinkers should be aware too. While the coffee that you drink at home might be ok, depending how much sugar you use of course, those of you who regularly frequent coffee shops, and especially the chains, should be aware of the amount of sugar that goes into some of the ‘speciality’ coffees’. One store’s coffee is said to contain almost twice the recommended amount of daily sugar intake for good health. The odd one of these is probably ok for a special occasion but if you drink these regularly, it is time to think about amending your coffee habit.

When it comes to quenching your thirst and staying hydrated, water is your best friend. It is usually cheaper and contains no sugar. It also helps to wash away food and bacteria and also helps you avoid a dry mouth. Perhaps use this as your regular drink, with coffees etc being saved as special ‘treats’.

Schedule dental and hygienist appointments

Even with the best self care, it is still important that you see a dentist regularly for a check up. Minor, and often unnoticed issues can then be treated in their earliest stages. Leaving these for too long could cause a very small cavity to become much larger and even lead to the need for a root canal procedure in some cases. Small chips and cracks could lead to a weakening of the tooth structure and eventually to more significant damage if ignored.

Similarly, even if you brush your teeth really well, plaque will inevitably build up in certain areas and result in tartar forming. This is near impossible to remove by yourself and can only be done with a scale and polish procedure carried out by our friendly dental hygienists.

To complete your first new year resolution of 2025, check your diary or call our Ipswich dental practice to check if you have both a check up and a hygienist appointment already booked. If you don’t, we can then arrange one for you at a convenient time to suit you.

These four new year resolutions can make great improvements to your oral health, and in the case of smoking, to your finances too! Conversely, ignoring them may lead to a range of issues which may require extensive and invasive treatments. Make your change today.

If you would like to contact us to check if you have an appointment booked, or to book one today, please call the Foxhall Dental Practice today on 01473 258396.