Monthly Archives: September 2020

Sep 23, 2020

Bad Habits that Can Harm Your Child’s Oral Health

Children rarely like brushing their teeth, much less flossing or using mouthwash. When you add that on top of bad oral habits such as nail-biting, thumb sucking, and prolonged pacifier use, your child will likely end up with dental problems sooner or later.

To keep your child’s teeth and gums healthy now and in the future, here are bad dental habits that you should help them break today:

1. Not going to the dentist

We get it. Bringing an unwilling child to the dentist is one of the most tiring and stressful experiences that you can have as a parent. And when your child makes dentist appointments an absolute nightmare, you might become a little lax about bringing them to the clinic altogether.

However, neglecting regular appointments can lead to cavities, gum disease, and various other oral problems. Your child needs to go to the dentist every six months to have their mouth inspected and cleaned. If they exhibit dental anxiety, you can help ease their fear by bringing them to a kids’ dentist specializing in treating fearful youngsters.

2. Thumb-sucking

Thumb-sucking is not likely to cause permanent damage to children that still have their baby teeth. However, it is best to wane them off the habit as early as possible before their permanent teeth come in. If they continue to suck their thumb when they get their permanent teeth at around 4 to 6, it can cause a misalignment in their teeth, leading to a myriad of other issues.

If your child continues to suck their thumb beyond four, it’s time to intervene. Use positive reinforcement to get them to stop the habit, and provide other forms of comfort if they suck their thumb as a response to stress.

3. Extended use of pacifiers

Throw away the pacifiers once your baby reaches a year old. It’s best to break the habit at that early age before they reach their toddler years, wherein taking away the pacifier can be more challenging and stressful for both you and them. If your child continues to use a pacifier beyond babyhood, their teeth and jaw become more prone to developmental problems.

4. Nail-biting

Nail-biting is a common habit for children, teens, and even some adults, but it can be just as harmful as other bad dental habits. If your child continually nibbles at their nails, they are more at risk of cracking or chipping their teeth, as well as damaging their gum tissue. In some cases, consistent nail-biting can even lead to bruxism, which is excessive teeth grinding or jaw clenching.

5. Sucking on candy

It’s okay to let your child have a lollipop or a piece of hard candy from time to time, but make it an occasional treat. And even then, ensure that they drink water and brush their teeth after eating to remove most of the sugar from their mouth.

6. Gnawing on objects

Pencils, pens, toys, and straws: many children have a habit of gnawing on these objects and more. This can cause wearing away of the tooth enamel, which can lead to sensitivity, damage, discoloration, and cupping (indentations on the teeth). Moreover, gnawing on dirty objects can introduce bacteria and illness-causing pathogens into the mouth, especially if said object has fallen to the ground.

To discourage your children from chewing on objects, educate them about the dangers of putting dirty things in their mouths. Simultaneously, remind them to stop the habit whenever you see them chewing on something.

7. Brushing teeth roughly

If your child brushes their teeth with too much force, they might be doing more harm than good. Brushing too roughly can damage teeth and gums, which, in turn, can lead to wearing away of enamel and tooth sensitivity, among other oral problems. So if your child has this habit, retrain them on how to brush their teeth properly with gentle yet firm strokes. Better yet, brush your teeth side-by-side so that they can see how to do it properly.

Children usually take good dental habits into adulthood, which can help them avoid dental problems in the future. So as you teach your child how to take care of their teeth properly, look out for the bad things that they do. Doing so, you can decrease their risk of developing oral problems, which they can also bring into adulthood.

Meta title: 7 Bad Dental Habits that Your Child Needs to Break ASAP

Meta description: Do your kids tend to bite their fingernails? Thrust their tongues? Suck their thumbs? Here are common dental habits and why you should break them.

Sep 23, 2020

Steadily Improve in Physical Fitness by Sustaining Your Momentum

Everybody knows that it’s important to stay fit as we grow older. When you’re young, your body is naturally healthy, and your metabolism fast enough to offset unhealthy habits. Over the years, however, that margin for error grows thin.

If you grow accustomed to a sedentary lifestyle, you can’t simply exert yourself physically with the intensity of your younger days. There will be aches and pains at least, if not injuries. Thus, the best time to deliberately increase your level of activity was yesterday; the next best time is today.

But even though many people start committing to increased fitness, it’s hard to maintain that momentum. We often get discouraged, encounter roadblocks, or stumble along the way. Gym memberships spike in January, but attendance tapers off in the months after.

How you can avoid slipping back into old ways, and even better, build on what you’re doing to become stronger and healthier?

Make sustainable habits

The first part of keeping up your momentum involves dealing with the things that could slow you down or cause you to stop. And this means you have to prioritize long-term sustainability.

If you push yourself too hard, too soon, you risk getting injured; even professional athletes in top condition see their performance decline as they recover from injuries. The average person is likely to take longer to recover. On top of that, committing to an unreasonably difficult workout routine is going to make it far less enjoyable.

You want to increase your baseline physical activity by doing something that challenges you, but doesn’t make you cringe at the thought of working out. Or wince in pain as you get out of bed the morning after.

Once you’ve identified that ‘sweet spot’, you can work on making it a habit. There are evidence-based strategies that can aid you in habit formation. By tying your exercise routine to existing habits, for instance, you can turn the extra activity into daily behavior. It will help to cement your gains; you won’t have to drain up your willpower resisting the urge to skip a day’s session.

Leveling up

Establishing your routine and sticking with it will prevent you from sliding back into a sedentary lifestyle. But as your body ages, many factors make it difficult to gain further ground. Our metabolic processes slow down significantly, and we tend to lose muscle mass over time. The body also acclimates itself to exertion; it eventually learns to do the same exercise in a more efficient manner.

Fending off the effects of age is like combating inflation in your personal finances. You want your income to increase at an even faster rate. Otherwise you’ll be losing money. With exercise, you need to constantly review what you’ve been doing, and find new ways to increase the difficulty.

If that doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, don’t give up. There are physical trainers and other professionals who can help design a program and monitor your progress. But you can actually transform this into a fun endeavor by using some principles of gamification.

Video games are addictive because they combine a reasonable level of challenge with a measurable sense of progress, and periodic rewards for your activity. For instance, storytelling, whether in a note-taking app or a crafted scrapbook decorated with circle punch patterns, is a basic form of celebrating your accomplishments and personal records.

You can also create that sense of leveling up in various workout apps, ranging from the staple Fitbit to the more adventurous Zombies, Run! Allow yourself to reflect on your journey from time to time. You’ll appreciate how consistency and effort have paid off.

Making it social

After taking your fitness to the next level through gamification, you will have created significant impetus moving forward. You’re doing something you enjoy, and building up a narrative of your progress.

However, the evolution of video games offers a further lesson in sustaining interest and activity. Over the decades, the best games have evolved to become more social. Today’s gamers aren’t playing alone in their basements; they are coordinating online with friends and strangers alike in clan activities and competing for rankings.

You don’t have to be a pro athlete to enjoy the benefits of healthy competition. Expand your network and find fellow enthusiasts who can reinforce your fitness activity and push you a little more each day. Look for local events you can join.

By integrating exercise into that natural desire for social interaction, it’s not only a sustainable habit, but something off which you can thrive. Even as you age, this momentum will keep your physical fitness routine going strong.

Meta title: How to Maintain Momentum in Your Physical Fitness Journey

Meta description: Committing to physical exercise is essential, but it’s hard to avoid falling back into old habits as we age and the body declines. Here’s how you can build momentum as you go.