How To Floss The Right Way

Flossing is essential to the health of your smile. But, unfortunately, there is a right and a wrong way to floss your teeth. Here is some information on how to floss your teeth the right way:

You want to use strong floss that doesn't break when you put it between your teeth. You can break off about 18 or so inches of floss and then hold the floss between your thumbs and index fingers, pulling it so that it is taught and doesn't have to give. Floss 2x a day. You want to remove any food built up between your gums. While flossing more than that is not going to hurt your smile, flossing at least 2x a day is critical. 

You want to be gentle and place the floss between two of your teeth, gently gliding it up and down not to damage your gums. Your smile is important, and flossing can keep it healthy for a lifetime. 

Contact Dr. Judy Strutz and her team for more information on flossing or other dental tips. 

Your smile is so important; protect it!

We know that it can be easy to dive into the world of sugar, sweets, and easy to grab foods. Let's face it, we're all busy, and there is so much going on now. But your smile deserves the best! There are easy choices you can make to protect your smile for a lifetime. 

Brush and floss twice a day. If you consume foods that are high in carbohydrates, you want to brush after. 

Drink water. Water helps to flush foods off the surface of your teeth. 

Avoid desserts or high sugar food after you brushed or before bed. The longer the sugar sits on your teeth, the more problems it can cause for your smile. 

Keep your regular dental appointments. Cleaning and your regular dental appointments are essential to helping your smile stay healthy. 

Use small round circles when brushing your teeth, and don't brush too hard. Brushing hard damages the gum tissue. 

Your smile is so important to your health, self-confidence, and being able to consume the foods you love. If you have a dental problem you want help with, call Dr. Judy Strutz and her team to schedule a consultation. 

Take Care Of Yourself!

There are so many things you can do in your home right now in order to keep your health up and you on the right track. Each one of these small habits can improve your overall mood, which can improve your overall health. Let me ask you? Have you struggled to remember to brush your teeth every day or to floss? While these things seem small, they make a large difference for the overall health of your smile. So, what habit do you need to change? Or what small change do you need to make?

Let’s break it down.

What time do you wake up in the morning? Before doing anything else, step in the bathroom, grab your toothbrush, set your timer, and brush for 2 minutes. You want to be sure to gently brush in circles gently.

This brings me to habit #2. You want to brush gently. Gentle circles help to keep your gums in great shape. If you brush too vigorously it can break down and damage your gums.

Once you have completed brushing in each of the four quadrants, play your favorite song, listen to a book on your phone or download your favorite podcast and begin to floss. You want to gently floss between each one of your teeth. Flossing is the best thing you can do for your gums.

These two things can improve your dental health, which can improve your physical health and when you feel good physically, you can change your overall mood. It doesn’t take a drastic change just a small habit change. For more information about healthy habits contact, Dr. Judy Strutz and her team.

Taking Care of Your Smile

Caring for your teeth is not an easy task, but planning and completing these few steps can ensure you have a smile that lasts your lifetime. During this time, it is even more important for you to implement these steps to take care of your teeth. Your health depends on it.

1. Take care of dental emergencies. You do not want to wait for an emergency to happen and then leave it. The longer you leave a dental emergency, the more of a the problem it can become.
2. Your gum health matters. Do you bleed when you brush or floss? Letting this go can lead to other problems. Be sure to brush and floss regularly. While you cannot take care of the periodontal disease without dental intervention, you can stop problems from getting worse by brushing and flossing regularly.
3. Stop smoking. While you have probably heard this for years if you are a smoker, the impact on your smile can be as devastating as the overall problem it is to your body.
4. Don’t forget to brush hard-to-reach places. The back of your teeth, your back molars and other hard to reach places need to be brushed also.

There is so much going on and now is not the time to let your dental health go. For more information on taking care of your smile contact Dr. Judy Strutz and her office.

Don’t Take Your Smile for Granted

It may have been awhile since you really took a step back and evaluated the health of your smile, but it is critically important that your teeth and gums are in great shape. Often times people go to the doctor and get regular check-ups. You may spend time working out, or eating right, but then forget to floss on a regular basis. Or you skipped that pesky dental appointment because something more fun and exciting came up, but it is important not to skip these appointments, in fact they are essential to your health.

The health of your teeth and gums can impact the entire body and while more and more research has been conducted on this, they are finding there is more than a correlation to heart disease and periodontal disease. Why spend hours ensuring you eat the right food and exercise if you are not going to spend the time taking care of your teeth and gums also?

Next time you feel like skipping the floss, or run out the door and decide against going to the dentist, think about the fact that your smile is the backbone to your health. Without teeth you cannot consume the foods that you enjoy. Bleeding gums and bad breath can lead to a breakdown in relationships and lead to depression. Don’t take your smile for granted.

For more information on how to keep your smile healthy, contact Dr. Judy Strutz and her team.

3 Ways To Treat Your Smile Right This Summer

As you put on that bathing suit and head for the beach, or as you enjoy a relaxing vacation to wherever the next great adventure lies, don’t forget to treat your smile. We are bombarded with reminders of how to stay fit over the summer or get the body we’ve always wanted, but often times our smile is left behind as an afterthought. This summer take care of your smile and enhance your overall health because smiles and body health are connected.

Don’t forget the toothbrush and the floss while traveling. People travel all over during the summer months enjoying the freedom of seeing family in other states or riding the next big roller coaster, but often times the toothbrush and floss are forgotten and left behind at home.  This summer don’t forget the essentials in order to keep your smile in tip-top shape.

Cut back on soda while traveling. It can be easy to consume soda during a road trip because you are up later than you normally would be. Dr. Judith Strutz states, “Among the other negative effects of soda is the fact that in only a few short minutes soda can begin to erode the enamel off of your teeth.” The enamel is the hard outer shell that protects your teeth from staining, cavities, and ultimately keeps you from losing your teeth. Instead of soda, reach for healthy more naturally caffeinated drinks.

Don’t forget the fruits and vegetables. While you may be enjoying more exotic foods or foods that are processed, intermix them with healthy fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables that are packed with water can remove food on the teeth in between brushes and also helps prevent dry mouth. “Once your mouth has become dry, it is easier for bacteria to begin to reek havoc on your smile,” says Dr.Judy Strutz.

Your smile is designed to last a lifetime, not just a summer time.