The month of October is officially in full-swing! It’s a beautiful time of year for change, as Chicagoans prepare for cooler days and the leaves to change. In honor of this month full of changes, it’s also a great time to step up your dental hygiene routine.

Dental Hygiene Awareness Month, also known as National Dental Hygiene Month, was established to celebrate the resiliency of taking care of your oral health. Rather than viewing our regular dental health routines as a tedious chore, dentists and hygienists have made the goal of this month’s awareness to instead be empowered by how we take care of our mouths.

Below, our dentists have gathered several tips to help you step up your daily dental hygiene routine and love taking care of your teeth.

1. How To Improve Your Teeth-Brushing Routine

Early on in childhood we are taught that it is important to brush and floss your teeth once or twice per day. Much like the rest of our body’s health, our dental needs and priorities change over time. That might mean the frequency of these habits occurs more or less because we are in a rush to get work, school or just go about our day.

Taking just two minutes out of your day to really take care of your teeth can have benefits that extend far beyond a clean and healthy smile. It can help eliminate many of the harmful bacteria lurking in your mouth’s microbiome that cause bad breath, could lead to cavities, tooth decay, or periodontal disease (also known as gum disease).

Here are a few ways you can make your brushing your teeth more interesting:

• Play a song that is around two minutes long while you brush your teeth.
• Upgrade to an electrical toothbrush with a built-in timer. You’ll know exactly when two minutes passes and be able to better manage your plaque and tartar buildup.
• Take a picture of your smile after you finish your daily dental routine. Whether you share it among friends or keep the selfie to yourself is entirely up to you. Acknowledging your beautiful and fresh smile can be a major confidence booster.

2. Getting Better At Flossing

During every dental visit, we are asked the following question: “How often are you flossing your teeth?” It’s a question most might dread, because the answer is likely not as often as you or your dentist would like.

In comparison to those who regularly brush their teeth, several studies by the American Dental Association highlight that there is a significantly smaller percentage of Americans that floss on a daily or weekly basis. Many of the common excuses for not flossing range from forgetfulness and not having enough time, to simply not knowing how to properly floss your teeth or wanting to do so.

Luckily, there are a few simple ways you can implement flossing into your daily routine:

• Purchase dental floss picks instead to make the process go by faster and easier.
• For a more environmentally friendly option, invest in a water flosser to clean in between your teeth and along the gum line
• Establish your flossing routine before you brush your teeth. This will help you not forget to floss and strengthen your gums

Flossing is vital to having a clean and healthy mouth. By dislodging excess food along our gum line, you’re not only saving your mouth from bad breath but also the development of periodontal disease.

3. Scheduling A Dental Cleaning And Check-Up

According to data collected in 2018 by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, the percentage of children between the ages of 2 and 17 going to the dentist for an annual checkup was 85.9%. For those over the age of 18, that percentage drops to about 64.9%. Regardless of the many reasons why adults stop going to the dentist as often, the benefits of an annual or biannual checkup and cleaning outweigh them all.

Just some of the reasons a dental visit is vital to your dental hygiene and smile confidence include:

• A medical check-up for cavities, gum disease and other abnormalities that could affect the health of your mouth as well as your cardiovascular and nervous systems.
• Having a hygienist clean and plaque and tartar buildup that you could not feel nor see.
• Discussing your smile goals to improve your teeth through straightening, whitening and more with a dental professional.

Book Your Dental Appointment With Our Dentist In Glenview, Il

Whether you’re seeking a routine dental cleaning or looking for options to improve your overall smile, our dental care team at Chicago Beautiful Smiles is happy to help you. We prioritize the dental wants and needs of every client to ensure they achieve the smile they’ve always dreamed off.

Not only do we want to boost your smile confidence, but we will also ensure you are given the best cleaning and guidance to maintain a good oral health routine. Schedule your appointment today by visiting us online or calling (847) 729-6080.