Summer is nearly here. This is the time when we’re out and about, enjoying the weather playing sports, and cooling down with sweet, cold beverages and ice cream. We want to give you a few tips to make sure you keep your teeth healthy while still enjoying the many summer activities.

1. Don’t use your teeth as tools.

We’ve mentioned this before but to remind you, using your teeth to open bottles, chew on ice, and other harmful habits can cause damage to your teeth even if you don’t see it at first. The consequences of using your teeth as tools are “hairline” or micro cracks that are hard to see, but will lead to problems in the future.

2. Protect your teeth while playing summer sports.

Whether you’re a recreational or a professional sports player, you should always protect your teeth by wearing a mouth guard. Mouth guards are fairly inexpensive and can be custom made here at Valley Dental Group to give you a comfortable, personal fit. It can protect you from chipping or losing a tooth from impact, or it can help your jaw and teeth from “clenching,” which many people do when competing or doing anything with endurance.

3. Eat sweets with caution.

It’s certainly refreshing to enjoy an ice-cream cone during the hot summer days or a cool can of soda, but those things are filled with added sugars which can cause cavities, enamel loss and plaque. The bacteria in your mouth love sweets, which is converted into acids, resulting in damages to teeth. Our advice is to not avoid sweets completely, but be cautious: Eat sweets as part of your meal versus snacks, brush or rinse after you eat or drink something sweet, or chew sugarless gum for 20 minutes to reduce tooth decay.

We hope this will help in making your summer happy and healthy. If you have any questions about mouth guards and/or would like to schedule an appointment for a consultation, please contact our office today.