preventative dental care
Top 10 Tips for a Healthy Lifestyle
Preventative dental care is more than just brushing your teeth and flossing. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is equally important as this will also heavily influence your oral health. Here are our Top 10 Tips for a healthy, vibrant smile.
1. Healthy Balanced Diet
Life can get crazy, and eating a healthy diet can sometimes be difficult. Trying to limit processed food, and getting healthy portions of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats is the key to preventing inflammatory diseases and feeling better throughout the day!
2. Limit Sugar Intake
This deserves its own tip! Recent research on sugar is starting to show it’s deleterious effects on many systems in the body. We certainly know sugars’ impacts on the teeth, as it is the main cause of the dreaded cavities! But limiting sugar intake can have a great effect on energy levels and preventing other diseases.
3. Drink Lots of Water
It has long been recommended to drink 8 glasses of water a day. Your body is composed of 80% water, so staying hydrated is super important. This can greatly increase gut and skin health and can keep headaches away.
4. Exercise
150 minutes per week of moderate heart-pumping activity is recommended for adults, which can include a brisk walk, cycling, swimming and playing pickle ball! This helps you maintain a healthy weight and decreases the risk of developing cardiovascular problems, sleep apnea and other health problems.
5. Good Sleep
The key to energy and productivity is a restful sleep at night. Studies show most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Many people struggle with quality of sleep, even if they are getting the necessary hours of sleep they do not feel rested.
Poor quality sleep can leave you feeling exhausted even when you technically "get enough" sleep. Issues such as sleep apnea, breathing through your mouth and snoring may be contributing factors. We offer a variety of treatment options to help address these disorders and improve the quality of your sleep.
Are you struggling to get a good night's rest?
6. Nasal Breathing
Many people don’t realize the importance of breathing through our nose, both during the day and while sleeping. The nose filters pathogens, and releases nitric oxide, a key antibacterial, antiviral and cardiovascular regulator. Correcting an inability to breathe through your nose can lead to better sleep, reduced anxiety and a healthier body.
7. Managing Your Stress
Our world is full of things that can cause us stress these days. Finding healthy outlets to manage that stress is a key component to a healthy life. Reading, exercise, listening to music and breathing exercises can all be good ways to reduce our stress levels and find more peace during the day.
8. Good Oral Hygiene
The mouth is the gateway to the body. Keeping bacteria levels down by brushing and flossing regularly can decrease inflammatory processes throughout the body. It also keeps teeth healthy, which makes them last longer as we age.
9. Alcohol in Moderation
Did you know that drinking more than 7 drinks in a week for a woman is considered heavy alcohol use? Frequent alcohol use can increase your risk of developing many cancers, including head and neck cancers. It can also increase your risk for cardiovascular disease, liver and digestive problems. Alcohol in moderation is the healthy choice!
10. Self Care
Taking care of our own mental health is important in many ways. If we take care of ourselves, we can better take care of those around us. It decreases stress, and the need for outlets such as alcohol use. Self care can take on many forms, from exercise, to meal planning, to a day at the spa. Whatever your self care looks like, make sure you make time for yourself!