Due to COVID-19, many dental offices followed the ADA’s recommendations to stay closed except for emergency services. This means that appointments for other dental concerns were canceled or postponed. But what should you do if you were one of those patients with a scheduled appointment that was missed? Dr. Suman Chibb of Owings Mills Dental Care, a dentist in Owings Mills, MD, offers some answers.
Make Sure Your Appointment is Rescheduled
Just because it wasn’t considered an immediate emergency, doesn’t mean your appointment wasn’t important. Something as simple as a dental cleaning is still crucial to your oral health. We may have already reached out to you to get your appointment rescheduled. If not, call us or use our online scheduling tool to get something scheduled for the near future!
Keep Up a Solid Home Oral Healthcare Routine
Your home oral care routine is an essential component to keeping your mouth healthy. And it may have been hard to keep up when many have had their entire daily routine upended. Whether it was adjusting to working from home or helping children with online learning, we had to get used to the new normal.
To avoid tooth decay and gum disease, it’s important that you brush and floss at least twice a day. Set an alarm or reminder on your phone for mornings and evenings. This helps everyone in your household remember to get their two a day in. It definitely won’t hurt if you brush more often. If it helps you to remember, brush and floss after every meal.
Watch What You’re Consuming
Your diet can have a big impact on the health of your mouth. We know it may not be the easiest to eat a completely healthy diet right now. Grocery stores still may have limited hours and are struggling to keep all of the stock on shelves. But there are still some little, simple things that you can do with your diet to help benefit your oral health.
First, try to consume less sugar. Sugar is one of the worst things for your teeth. Harmful oral bacteria reside in your mouth and use sugar as their main food source. They emit an acidic byproduct that eats through the enamel on your teeth. This is what leads to dental cavities and other tooth decay problems. The more sugar you eat, the more this byproduct is being released into your mouth.
Also, make water the primary thing you drink. It doesn’t contain any harmful sugars or additives like other beverages might. In addition, if it’s tap water, it’s probably fortified with fluoride to help strengthen your tooth enamel. Even if it isn’t, it’s still the best choice to keep your mouth hydrated. This helps rinse food particles and sugars away from your smile.
Your Dentist in Owings Mills, Maryland
We’re here for you to make sure the stress of this pandemic hasn’t harmed your smile. Call us or schedule an appointment online!