With a little luck, spring has completely sprung in your neck of the woods. Hopefully, you’re enjoying those warmer rays of sunshine, the sound of singing birds, and the thrill that comes from knowing the coldest days are behind us and summer is just around the corner. Unfortunately, whether it’s cold or hot, your lips may have a hard time weathering the weather. Perhaps you don’t think of your lips in conjunction with your oral health. However, when you have a dental checkup, your dentist will be examining every part of your mouth, searching for suspicious spots. Your lips and gums also frame your smile, so cosmetically, lips in rough shape will take away greatly from a gorgeous grin.
Hydration for Healthy Lips
We’ve all fallen prey to terribly chapped lips at one time of our lives or another. This can be especially true when the temperature drops to the lowest points of the winter or rises to the highest heights of summer. No matter what the temperature, don’t forget the water. Keeping your body hydrated with pure H20 will lead to lips that are less likely to crack, chap, and split under harsh weather conditions. Also, avoid licking your lips if they are already chapped, as this can make the condition worse. Petroleum jelly, vitamin E, aloe vera, shea butter, and cucumber slices are good remedies to sooth chapped lips while they heal.
Beware of Oral Cancer
Your dentist will look for signs of oral cancer at your regular six-month checkups, but it’s up to you to go in to the dentist if suspicious sores or lesions are refusing to go away over a period of two weeks or so. With early detection, oral cancer has a very high survival rate of 80% to 90%. Undiagnosed oral cancer can be extremely challenging to beat, however. Keeping your lips healthy will give you a good reference point so that you know when something is truly wrong and should be brought to the attention of a dentist.
ABOUT YOUR LINCOLNSHIRE DENTIST:
Dr. Brent Engelberg and his highly-skilled team proudly serve patients and their families from Arlington Heights, IL, and all surrounding communities, including; Northbrook, Deerfield, Highland Park, Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, Vernon Hills, Lincolnshire, Libertyville, Skokie, Evanston, Palatine, Schaumburg, Elk Grove Village, Rolling Meadows, and the Northern and Northwest Chicago Suburbs. To learn more, schedule a consultation online, or call our office today at 847-259-8030.
Leave a Reply