Tag: Winter

Winter and Dental Hygiene

Winter brings a secret problem apart from snow, ice and cold. Dental problems are common in winter and the reason is not known yet. Excruciating pain in the jaws and toothache after meals or drink is common. Here is how you can take care of your teeth during winter.

Winter Dental Hygiene

Seventy per cent of adults have gum diseases which they often do not realize until bleeding or pain occurs. Dental hygiene is a must in all seasons but especially during winter, it becomes compulsory as it pains a lot. 🙂 Practice the regular habits apart from the following:

  1. Of course, brush twice a day
  2. Floss as needed
  3. Use a good tongue cleaner
  4. Use a good mouth wash such as Listerine
  5. Use a soft brush with good bristles
  6. Do not change the tooth paste except unless doctor suggests
  7. Visit the doctor twice a year
  8. Get the teeth cleaned at every doctor visit
  9. If the pain persists, brush after every meal
  10. Check for bleeding from gums

Making small circles while brushing is a good practice. Time your brushing for two minutes, twice a day. Check that you clean all your teeth one after the other for complete cleaning. Try brushing the dirt outside the mouth and not vice versa. Change your tooth brush every three months. Quick mouth wash is also an option if you do not have time for brushing second time.

Check with your insurance and dentist about the rules and charges before scheduling a visit. Most insurances offer two free visits per year along with free cleaning. Do not hesitate to ask for a dental insurance card and your account number.

Do you face toothaches in winter? What do you do? Write back. 🙂

Driving in Snow: Tips and Best Practices

God had just started to shower the beautiful snow.  Trees, house tops, cars, roads, and everything is covered with white snow giving a wonderful view. But, driving in snow is a  nightmare for new drivers. Icy roads and sliding cars make it tough to drive in snow and ice. Here are some tips and best practices for driving in snow.

Snow and icy conditions make it difficult to drive. Drivers must exercise extreme caution while driving in snow and ice. Here are some tips and best practices.


  • Do not drive until the roads are cleared
  • Start the engine and set the temperature to maximum
  • Start the glass heaters in front and rear
  • Clear the snow and ice of all the glasses
  • Use a snow scraper to wipe off the ice and snow
  • Do not use wipers to clear the ice or snow
  • Drive slowly and maintain two car  or seven second distance between cars
  • Check and maintain the fuel, tires, breaks, battery, and traction
  • If the sunlight is less, use your car lights to let the other driver know about your vehicle
  • Wear winter gear to keep your self warm
  • Set extra clothes in your car to keep you warm if the car breaks down
  • Keep salt bag or any other weight in the car to maintain traction
  • Use a de-icer to minimize the snow accumulation
  • If the breaks fail, hold the steering steadily and drive in the direction you want the car to go
  • Press the breaks on and off in case car starts skidding or sliding

Black ice is dangerous as the vehicle may skid. Further, due to unpredictable road conditions, it is not advisable to drive in ‘Cruise’ mode in long journeys. During the holiday season, it is also essential to check the weather before planning any travel. Stay warm and drive carefully during the winter. If you have any additional best practices for driving in snow, let me know. 🙂

Day Light Savings

Day light savings is ending this Sunday. We all have to push back the clocks one hour behind. We never know the exact reason it had started, but let’s enjoy the extra hour we get to sleep this Sunday. 🙂


Rationale

Around seventy countries worldwide practice day light savings except for the ones around the equator. Day light savings was started to initially encourage longer days during spring and summer. This helps in enjoying leisure time for workers and children. Outdoor activities and sports boost up when the weather is good outside. In addition, it discourages using electric lights during the evenings.

During fall and winters, there is no sunlight in the mornings and gets darker early in the evenings. Then, the daylight savings is not required. So, we all turn back the clocks to normal timings.

Confusion

Sometimes, these adjustments create confusion in arranging meetings and managing schedules for working professionals. Sleep disorders are common and leads to confusion of course.

Turn back all your clocks to one hour this Sunday. Some smart electronic gadgets have the feature in built. So we don’t have to bother about them. But, the more rooms you got, the more clocks you got. Pull out the ladders for the high reaching clocks and turn them back.

Wait until Sunday to adjust the time on the clocks, or else you may loose the track. People like me think that we have get up at 2 am in the morning to turn back the clocks. 🙂