Everyone wants to have the healthiest, best-looking smile possible. It’s part of human nature. With summer upon us, however, many people tend to put their oral care on the back burner.

At Highland Advanced Dental Care, we not only work hard to provide you the best smile care we can, we also want to help you maintain a beautiful smile in between visits. That’s why we’re offering you a few tips below on how to protect your teeth and keep your smile healthy this summer.

If you have any questions about your dental care or if you need to make an appointment, just give us a call at 248-329-3552 and a friendly team member will be glad to assist you.

Protect Your Pearly Whites With a Custom Mouthguard

Did you know that athletes who don’t wear mouth protection are 60 times more likely to suffer dental damage than those who do? If you or your child play sports or participate in rough-and-tumble activities like skateboarding, then a custom mouthguard will help keep your teeth in your head where they belong.

Sure, you can go to a store and buy a so-called “boil and bite” mouthguard that will deliver some protection. However, it will not fit as well or protect your teeth as well as a professionally made appliance from Highland Advanced Dental Care.

Dr. LoCascio will take impressions of your or your child’s teeth so that we can have a custom mouthpiece made to exact specifications. Because it fits better, it will provide superior protection over a store-bought unit, plus it will last longer.

Different sports require different levels of protection; we can have a mouthguard made for just about any sport. You’ll protect your or your budding athlete’s smile this summer and enjoy peace of mind at the same time.

Watch Out For Chlorine

You may not realize it, but an innocent swim in the pool could be causing irreversible dental damage. Small amounts of pool water will inevitably end up in your mouth while swimming. If a pool contains too much chlorine – causing it to be too acidic – your teeth can suffer from dark staining and become overly sensitive. The chlorine in the water can even begin to erode your tooth enamel, which your body cannot replenish.

If you spend a lot of time in the pool, or if you have a child who does (think swim team), then take a few precautions to help prevent long-term problems with your teeth. You can buy pH test strips at sporting goods stores to test the acidity of the pool.

According to the CDC, pool water should fall between 7.2 and 7.8 on the pH scale. If it is too low (too acidic), then the chlorine level should be adjusted. If you can’t avoid being in the pool, then limit your time in the water and be sure to rinse your mouth with fresh water periodically.

A few well-planned steps now could help you or your swimmer avoid big oral problems down the road. No one wants to end up with dental damage that could have been avoided.

Keep Up With Good Oral Hygiene

Summertime is a busy time of year for many of our patients. With summer sports, get-togethers, reunions, vacations, and other outdoor activities, it can be easy to let our oral hygiene take a back seat.

Now is not the time to forget about good brushing and flossing. It can be easy to put off tooth brushing after meals (“I’ll just do it later on”), but pretty soon you’ve gone hours or even overnight without cleaning all the bacteria and plaque from your teeth.

Over time, plaque can harden and become tartar, which can only be removed by a dentist. Regular brushing and flossing will remove plaque, help prevent cavities, and help keep your teeth as clean and healthy as possible.

Be sure to brush twice a day and floss at least once. When traveling, pack trial-sized toothbrushes, paste, and floss with you so you and your family can take care of your teeth as needed.

As a side note, you may even want to pack a dental emergency kit in case you experience any problems away from home. Include gauze, mouthwash, a small cup, a cold compress, and a small tooth storage container with salt water in it. Hopefully you won’t experience any unexpected dental problems on the road, but you’ll be prepared if you do.

Follow these tips to keep your smile healthy this summer. If you have any questions or if you’d like to schedule your next regular checkup, give us a call today at 248-329-3552.