Dental Health Check with Dr. Linda Niessen
Dental health topics from Dr. Linda Niessen of Baylor College of Dentistry
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 New Oral Habits

By Web Communications
Baylor College of Dentistry
The Texas A&M Health Science Center
Monday, January 08, 2007
STORY: NEW ORAL HABITS 
SCRIPT #710 SHOOT:  12/04/06            
AIRDATE:  Monday, Jan. 8, 2007
DHC Master #17  Timecode:  14:35

Are you struggling to keep a New Year’s resolution about your health, such as losing weight? Well, Channel 8’s Dr. Linda Niessen of Baylor College of Dentistry suggests focusing instead on your ORAL health. Some important advice in today’s Dental Health Check.

It’s a NEW year with a NEW chance to develop better health habits. Perhaps you'd like to:

• Floss more.
• Go to the dentist sooner and not later.
• Cut back on candy.
• Don’t eat too many things that cause cavities.

Many people make a new year’s resolution to eat a healthier diet. That’s good! But instead of just focusing on what you put in your mouth, how about directing attention to your mouth itself? 
 
The mouth can give us clues about our overall health.  Red, swollen gum tissue can be a sign of other health problems. Periodontist, Dr. Farhad Boltchi says,“The first symptoms of a lot of diseases show up in the mouth.  And also, if an oral condition is healthy then the likelihood of having other systemic diseases is significantly lower.”
 
SMOKING

Cigarettes, cigars and spit tobacco can lead to oral cancer and a painful, early death. So make this the year that you stop using tobacco of any kind.
 
FLOSSING

Flossing removes harmful plaque between teeth where your toothbrush cannot reach.
 
SONICARE

Is brushing also a problem? This year invest in a battery-powered toothbrush. We often notice improvement when patients make the switch.
 
ORTHODONTICS

Braces solve problems that often get worse with every passing year.
 
My personal resolution is to bring you another year of stories that help you improve both your overall health and dental health.  For Baylor College of Dentistry, Texas A & M Health Science Center, I’m Dr. Linda Niessen.

Dr. Linda Niessen, clinical professor in the Department of Restorative Sciences and  the Office of Communications and Development at Baylor College of Dentistry, hosts Dental Health Check, the only weekly dental feature shot on location in the nation.

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