With Memorial Day behind us, summer is right around the corner.  This is a great time to check and see that you and your family are doing the right things to take care of your oral and dental health.  

What things should you be checking for?  Here is what you need to know:

Summer Time Dental Checklist

1. Bi-annual dental check up--If you haven't had a check up with your dentist since last year, now is the time to schedule an appointment.
2. Dental cleaning--Having a professional cleaning should coincide with your check-up.  Getting your teeth professionally cleaned twice a year helps prevents tooth decay.
3. Oral cancer screening--You should check at least once a year to prevent the possibility of oral cancer.  See our previous post for more details on this preventable disease.
4. Change toothbrushes--You should change your toothbrush every three months.  Use the change of seasons as your reminder.
5. Implement new improved dental habits--The start of summer is a great time to commit to creating new, healthy habits for your oral and dental health care.  Refer to the prior post to see how you can set up new dental habits for you and your family.
6. Printing and using the daily dental checklist--While setting up new, healthy oral and dental habits, use the checklist from this prior post .  Even better, print out the attached " Top 10 Things You Can Do To Prevent Tooth Decay" checklist and post it on your bathroom mirrors.
7. Have your teenagers checked for wisdom teeth--summer and winter vacations are the best times to have your teenagers get a check-up to see if they need to have their wisdom teeth removed.  Next week, we will look further at the importance of doing so.
8. Check your insurance plans to make sure you will take advantage of using the monies set aside for your dental care.  Make sure to make appointments to utilize your insurance coverage before the end of the year.  
9. Review your dental insurance coverage to make sure you have the right plan that best suits the needs of you and your family.  We will be posting an article on what to check for in a few weeks.  Use the information to see if you are getting the right coverage.
10. If you don't have a regular dentist that you like and trust, now is a great time to get one.  The right dentist--who truly cares about the oral and dental health of you and your family--is a valuable member of your health team.  Again, we will be posting an article shortly about how to choose the right trusted advisor for you and your family.

While proper dental care is a year round activity, use of particular calendar dates as milestones is a great way to make sure you and your family stays on track with optimal oral and dental health care.  So use this reminder as your call to action!  

Here's wishing you and your family good health this summer!

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