Your Teeth: 7 Healthy Habits to Adopt in 2025

The start of the year is an ideal time to begin new habits to make sure your dental health remains in the best condition possible for years to come. But you can also commit to making better choices at any time of year.

By introducing and adopting new habits that help to protect your teeth, looking after your dental health will become second nature.

Why is oral health so important?

You only get one set of adult teeth in your lifetime, and you want to make sure that they last for as long as possible. One of the best ways to achieve this is by making sure that you adopt healthy habits.

Habits make it easier to care for your teeth, as they happen without even having to think about it. You can also try habit stacking, which pairs up less fun habits with ones that you enjoy. For example, you might listen to your favourite songs while you are brushing your teeth to help bring a touch of fun to your morning or evening.

Here are seven top habits to look after your teeth:

Looking for some easy ways to upgrade your oral health? These are some of our favourite habits that we try to encourage our patients to adopt. While some of these might be a big shift from your current routine, others will be easy to implement, but the impact on your oral health will be incredible.

Always brush twice a day – no excuses!

Brushing teeth removes the food debris and bacteria that can build up to cause plaque. If left overnight it will continue to attack teeth. This can lead to a build-up of plaque and tartar on the teeth that provides a breeding ground for bacteria. This will lead to bad breath, bleeding gums and inflammation that can cause your teeth to become loose and fall out. To prevent this, all you need to do is to brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste.

Commit to regular dental check-ups

Visiting the dentist for regular checks is the easiest way to look after your teeth as any problems will be flagged up quickly and treated. This stops unnecessary pain and damage in undiagnosed problems such as cavities and gum disease.

We recommend visiting every 6-12 months, unless your dentist specifies more often or less often. You can also visit the dentist earlier than this if you experience a change in your oral health, or if you have any unexpected dental pain.

Keep sweet treats to meal times

We’re not about to tell you that you need to cut out sweet treats altogether, but there are things you can do to limit their impact.

Eating sugary treats with a meal minimises the amount of time your teeth are exposed to the harmful bacteria that attacks the surface of the tooth. It also means that your mouth will be producing saliva which helps to rinse away debris and neutralise acids, so there will be less damage.

Make water your main drink

Water is a natural cleanser, it is also not acidic as well as being sugar-free so makes a good choice of drink. You’ll also enjoy wider health benefits from switching to water instead of sugary drinks.

Many sugary drinks also contain caffeine, so you might find that you sleep better once you make this switch. If you don’t like the taste of plain water, try adding cucumber slices, or add a small amount of sugar-free cordial.

Ease off on foods that stain

This could be bad news for lovers of red wine, coffee and chocolate. Did you know that these can all discolour the teeth. If you can’t resist, try to drink a glass of water afterwards. You can also minimise the staining capacity by eating them with a main meal.

If you love red wine, try enjoying this with a small piece of cheese and some raw vegetable sticks. This will help to minimise the staining capacity from the tannins.

Avoid sugary snacks

Grazing on sugar-filled snacks is as bad for your teeth as it is for your body. Constantly exposing the teeth to sugar will cause decay. If you’re feeling peckish throughout the day, try switching to vegetables, cheese or nuts.

If you really need a sweet treat, try dark chocolate, as this contains flavonoids that provide wider health benefits.

Learn how to brush correctly

A quick brush just won’t cut it. Make sure you brush for two minutes and that every surface of the tooth is covered – front, back and top. A timer will help you to make sure you brush for the right time. You can also split your mouth into four quadrants, and then focus on each area for 30 seconds. This will help to avoid missing any areas.

If you’re not sure if you’re brushing correctly, you can try using plaque disclosing tablets to see where you are missing. You can also visit the dental hygienist, and they will be able to offer personalised advice based on your current brushing patterns. Switching to an electric toothbrush might also help you to improve your technique.

Final thoughts on developing better habits

As you can see, many of these are small but significant changes. Sometimes all it takes is a little bit of awareness of our current habits to help put better habits in place. Your teeth will reap the benefits of a little daily care for years to come, so your future self will thank you for your diligence.

If you have any concerns about your teeth make sure that you seek dental advice as soon as possible. Book an appointment with our dental team or arrange a dental hygiene cleaning to help get your oral health back on track.

To arrange a dental check-up contact Bhandal Dental Surgery where you can be assured of a friendly, professional service.