The online community disseminates information more quickly than we could ever imagine. Oftentimes, it’s too quickly for real experts to get a word in on the advice that people are giving out. At our dental office, we believe very strongly in the power of patient education. Since we only see you every once in a while, we want to be able to give you advice from people that we trust. Your mouth is not isolated from the rest of your body. This means that you need to take care of every aspect of your health. Here are 5 pieces of advice that we’ve handpicked for you.
Brushing After Breakfast
In the morning, you eat breakfast, and your first instinct is to brush your teeth. However, depending on what you eat, that might do damage. According to Mark Wolff from the NYU College of Dentistry, if you eat a breakfast with acidic foods, particularly fruits and juices, brushing your teeth immediately afterwards can weaken the enamel, causing discoloration and cracks. Instead, he recommends rinsing your mouth out with water and giving yourself about 40 minutes before you brush.
Commuting with the Windows Up
Dr. Scott Fruin, an environmental researcher at USC, claims that air pollution is up to 10 times worse than it is on roads in the suburbs. While you’re commuting to work, remember to keep your windows rolled up. Having your windows down on the highway exposes you to diesel fumes, and these contribute to headaches, cancer, and heart disease. Keep those windows shut, and turn on your AC’s recirculation because Fruin’s studies have shown that this reduces your exposure fourfold.
Switch off the Plastic
If you’re bringing your lunch to work and microwaving it in plastic, you could be causing yourself a lot of damage. BPA-free containers are a step in the right direction, but they’re still not perfect. Germaine Buck Louis, a director at the National Institutes of Health, says that microwaving food in plastic containers causes phthalates to leach into your food, which can potentially damage sperm and alter hormones. A better option would be to move it to a glass container when you need to heat it up.
Eat Before You Go to Happy Hour
Studies have shown that people with a BAC as low as .01%, which is much lower than the legal limit of .08%, are 46% more likely to cause a crash than people who are completely sober. Aaron White from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism says that eating before you drink can reduce your BAC by 30%.
Don’t Sleep with Your Phone
The University of Florida conducted a study that showed that people who use smartphones for work after 9 pm wake up groggy. This might not seem like a big deal, but too little sleep highly increases your chance of a stroke. Avoiding this is fairly simple. Keep your charger in another room and turn off notification. If it’s an emergency, someone will call.