Dr. Carolyn Yu and our team in Pinole, California, want to wish you and yours a fun and healthy Halloween now that fall is officially in full swing. To help you achieve this, we would like to share with you this month’s message from the American Dental Hygienists’ Association–Do The Daily 4.
We believe doing the daily four will help you strike a healthy balance between celebrating the holiday festivities and preserving those beautiful smiles you have worked so hard to achieve. We hope you will adopt these practices of the National Dental Hygiene Month’s message into your daily routine:
Do The Daily 4
1 – Brushing: brush your teeth twice a day for at least two minutes each time lessens plaque to help prevent tooth decay and gum disease.
2 – Flossing: floss in between your teeth and gums once a day–using dental floss or interdental brushes–to remove food particles and plaque in those places where your toothbrush can’t clean effectively.
3 – Rinsing: rinse with an ADA approved anti-microbial mouthwash once a day to freshen breath and prevent gum disease.
4 – Chewing: chew sugarless gum to “clean” your teeth for those times when you can’t brush after eating and drinking. This stimulates saliva production which neutralizes plaque acids, remineralizes enamel, and washes away food particles.
Fun Halloween Tip: fill a kitchen bowl with small oranges, tangerines or clementines decorated to look like jack-o-lanterns (with non-toxic ink). You can also add non-sweet treats such as pencils, erasers, stickers, temporary tattoos, glow sticks, play-doh, sticky spooky eyeballs and wiggly spider rings for fun.
If you can incorporate these four daily practices, along with regular professional dental cleanings into your oral hygiene routine, your smile will benefit for years to come. Dr. Carolyn Yu and our team in Pinole, California, wish you and yours a festive and healthy Halloween. We invite you to call 510.974.2147 if you have any questions about your oral health or want to schedule a visit with our dentist.
