Enjoy the Fourth..But Protect Your Investment

The Fourth of July is coming up in just days.  Many of you are planning family gatherings, backyard picnics, or outings to cheer on your favorite baseball team.  Then, of course, there are the nighttime fireworks to enjoy.  Have a great time.  Try to stay cool.  Use sunscreen.  Drink lots of water.  These things you know, but there’s one more thing you need to protect….your smile.  If you’ve had a smile makeover with porcelain veneers or porcelain crowns, you need to protect that investment.  Sure, if Smile Texas created your perfect smile, your investment is protected by their Last Time You Pay Policy.  While it may not cost anything, there’s still your time involved.  Smile Texas is great, but they do not make house calls.

So here are a few rules to help you enjoy the holiday, while protecting your smile:

• Avoid the sticky.  Hard sticky candy, caramel, and bubble gum can stick to and pull off a crown.  Try sugarless gum instead.

• As your mother surely told you – DO NOT use your teeth as a tool.  Do not open the snack bag with your teeth.  And don’t even think about the bottle top.

• Do not chew hard candy and do not chew your ice.  Chewing ice is not only bad for your teeth, it’s annoying to your companions.

• While those raw vegetables are very good for you, try not to chomp down on the hardest ones like carrots.  Choose peppers or broccoli instead.

• While the baseball game calls for peanuts and Cracker-Jacks, try to avoid the hard nuts with your restored teeth.  You should also avoid biting hard crackers and big pretzel sticks.

So that’s not so bad.  It shouldn’t hamper your good time.  Here’s a few things you should do:

• The regular brush and floss daily is old advice, but oh so important.

• If you are playing any sort of ball – softball, baseball, football, even kick ball, wear a mouth guard to protect your teeth.

• If you grind your teeth at night, wear a night guard.  Everyone will sleep better.

So just a few rules and a few suggestions will help you protect your smile this July 4th.  Have fun and have a Happy Independence Day!