With COVID-19 taking hold of the nation, dental offices have been limiting hours and mainly serving emergency cases. This means many regular dental checkups and cleanings have been postponed or canceled. But what does that mean if you had one of those appointments? Dr. Fabrizio Dall’Olmo, a dentist in Santa Monica, CA, offers tips.
Get That Appointment Rescheduled
This isn’t an appointment that can just be blown off. You want to be seen and get that cleaning as close to your six-month date as possible. Someone 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 set up for the future.
Keep Up an Oral Healthcare Routine at Home
Especially since you’re missing a deep cleaning, it’s important that you’re taking care of your teeth at home. We know it can be hard to establish a new routine when your normal one has been upended. You may be adjusting to working from home or helping your children with their online learning classes. Little things like brushing and flossing may fall by the wayside. However, it’s important if you want to avoid tooth decay or gum disease.
Make sure you’re brushing and flossing at least twice a day. Set an alarm or reminder on your phone for mornings and evenings. This can help your entire household get in a new oral healthcare routine. It’s also not a bad thing to brush your teeth more than that. You can brush your teeth after every meal, which is helpful to get food particles out from in and around your teeth.
Pay Attention to Your Diet
During this crisis, it can be hard to eat healthily. Isolation is impacting all of us in different ways, but many of us are turning to comfort food — which usually isn’t the most healthy. Grocery stores also have limited hours and are struggling to keep everything on the shelves as people are stocking up. But there are some simple things you can do to try and keep your smile healthy.
First, try to avoid excess sugar as much as possible. This is important for both food and beverages, as drinks can often conceal how much sugar they contain. Sugar is one of the biggest enemies of your oral health. Harmful oral bacteria feed on sugar as one of their main food sources. These bacteria release an acidic byproduct that wears away the enamel on your teeth. This contributes to tooth decay and dental cavities.
Also, drink water as your primary beverage throughout the day. If you drink tap water, it’s most likely fortified with fluoride to help strengthen the enamel on your teeth. Even if it isn’t, water is beneficial in keeping your mouth hydrated. This is important because it helps to rinse away any excess sugars and food particles away from your smile.
Your Dentist in Santa Monica, California
It’s important to get a checkup after the pandemic, too, to make sure that the stress of this crisis hasn’t damaged your smile. Call us or schedule an appointment online. We hope to see your smile in our office soon!