Summer is Smile Season
Summer is finally here!
At least here in the northern hemisphere that is. Temperatures are rising, schools are letting out, the 4th of July is right around the corner, and summer vacations are on the not too distant horizon.
If it’s a human condition that some of us feel more depressed (or SAD…Seasonal Affective Disorder) in the winter, is the opposite true that the sunshine and warmer weather make us happier in summer?
Sadly, SAD affects up to 3% of the U.S. population, or about 9 million people, some experts say, and countless others have milder forms of the winter doldrums.
Summertime starts off with National Smile Month, so we’ll leave that one to the clinical psychologists and for now tackle a much simpler question…
How to Get Your Smile in Shape for the Summer?
Everywhere we look people are flocking to the beaches, pools, parks, & parties, enjoying all of the reasons we smile more in the summer season.
Make sure that your smile is ready for summer with these top tips!
Don’t Take a Vacation from Optimal Oral Health
Sure the kids are out of school, and maybe you have both a vacation and a staycation planned. But, that doesn’t mean we need to skip out on our regularly scheduled dental visits or stop brushing and flossing on the regular.
Brush for 2 minutes, 2 times per day – and don’t forget to FLOSS!
Summertime should not have us slacking off on our standard smile maintenance, and the easiest way to shape up a smile is to not neglect it in the first place. Summer is a great time to schedule our regular dental checkups – especially for our kids.
Knock off the kid’s dental visits during the summer, and they won’t even have to miss any school come September. Dental offices are traditionally busier between October and December than during the summer. This is probably because a lot of us don’t start thinking about our dental insurance benefits disappearing at the end of each year until then.
Ditch the Smile Wrecking Drinks
Summer sees the temps rise and the outdoor activities increase, but we needn’t do our smile the disservice of gulping down some sugary slurry under the guise of a “sports drink.”
Energy drinks, sodas, lemonade, even wine, and many other popular frosty fruity beverages we favor in summer contain added sugar and citric acid. If we must slosh down these syrupy sugar-laden drinks, make sure we give a swish with some fresh water after downing the dentin damaging enamel eroding elixirs.
Also, remember after drinking acidic beverages it’s better to wait at least 30 minutes to brush our teeth rather than trying to scrub away the cavity creeps post-haste.
Research shows that brushing immediately after meals or drinks that are acidic can be a real problem for our teeth. The acidic properties of these drinks can actually cause our tooth enamel to become temporarily more susceptible to erosion.
Summer Is for Cosmetic Dentistry
Before summer is in full swing, why not treat ourselves to some cosmetic dentistry?
Summer is also wedding season, and we can’t think of a better excuse to take advantage of some of the simple smile shape-up procedures available to us at our trusted neighborhood dental practice.
Whether its teeth whitening to remove that weathered look of what used to be a winter white smile, or a full-on anti-aging facelift dentistry smile makeover, summer is the perfect time to both shape up and show off that shiny new smile!
What’s Your Favorite Reason to SMILE More in Summer?
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