Due to the COVID-19 crisis, dental offices such as our Bella Smiles locations in Riverhead, Roslyn, and Nesconset, NY, have had to have limited hours. Many are only offering emergency services. So what does this mean if you had an appointment scheduled? Dr. Sal Lotardo, a dentist in Roslyn, NY, offers some suggestions.
Get Your Appointment Rescheduled
This isn’t an excuse to skip your appointment, even if it’s just for your regular dental cleaning. Bi-annual dental cleanings and checkups are essential to your oral health. You want to make sure you get rescheduled for the near future. Our office may have already reached out to you about getting a different appointment. If not, call your local office or use our online scheduling tool to get set up!
Keep Up With an Oral Healthcare Routine at Home
Especially if you’re having problems with tooth decay or missing your regular deep cleaning, it’s important to keep up with oral health at home. We know that it may be a bit more difficult with the ongoing crisis. You may be adjusting to working from home or helping to keep your children entertained. Small things can get pushed by the wayside. But if you don’t want a future root canal or issues with gum disease, it needs to happen.
Try setting an alarm or reminder on your phone for mornings and evenings. This will ensure that you get brushing and flossing done at least twice a day. It’s a good way to make sure your entire household remembers as well. It doesn’t hurt to brush more often, either. If it helps you to remember better, brush and floss after every meal. This also gets food particles out of the way ASAP.
Watch Your Diet
It’s difficult to make sure you’re getting a healthy and fully balanced diet during this pandemic. Grocery stores have limited hours and are struggling to keep certain products stocked on the shelves. We also tend to turn to comfort food — often not the healthiest — in times of crisis. But there are small adjustments you can make to your diet to help your oral health.
First, try to limit your intake of sugar. Sugar is one of the worst things for your smile. Harmful oral bacteria use it as their main food source and give off an acidic byproduct. This byproduct eats through the enamel on your teeth and leads to tooth decay and dental cavities. The more sugar you’re consuming, the more this is being released into your mouth.
Also, make sure water is your drink of choice. It doesn’t contain any hidden sugars or additives. In fact, if it’s tap water, it’s most likely fortified with fluoride to help strengthen your tooth enamel. Even if it isn’t, water is crucial to keeping your mouth fully hydrated. This helps wash sugar and food particles away from your teeth.
Your Dentist in Roslyn, Riverhead, and Nesconset, NY
Here at Bella Smiles, we’re ready to make sure the stress of this crisis hasn’t impacted your smile. Call us or schedule an appointment online for the future today!