Dentistry, Best Practices for Healthy Teeth

Your Kenosha Dentist will never fail to remind you to care for your teeth and gums. It is their responsibility to educate their patients about oral care but they can only do so much. The American Dental Association encourages everyone to visit the dentist at least twice a year. Therefore, the rest of the days of the year are all on you. If you don’t care for your teeth at home it will only be a matter of time before you experience oral health problems like tooth decay, gum disease and tooth infection. How do you keep your teeth and gums healthy? Here are several tips that will keep your mouth in tiptop shape:

Brush Your Teeth Every Day

Brushing your teeth should be done at least twice a day to remove bacteria and food particles. When these aren’t removed they will create plaque. Plaque is a sticky substance that will destroy your teeth by creating pits and holes called cavities. Aside from cavities, plaque can also cause gum disease as it forms along the gumline irritating your gums. When you brush, position your toothbrush at a 45-degree angle towards your gums. Use gentle back and forth strokes. Don’t brush hard as this can destroy your teeth and injure your gums.

Replace Your Toothbrush

Even though you bought the most expensive toothbrush in the supermarket, you still need to replace it every 3 months. If the bristles have already frayed before that, you need to ditch your toothbrush and get a new one. Cleaning won’t be as effective if the bristles are worn. It is recommended that you choose a soft-bristled toothbrush.

Floss Your Teeth Daily

Brushing and flossing go hand in hand. You can floss once a day. Flossing is necessary since your toothbrush won’t be able to remove food debris that gets stuck in between teeth. Make sure to ask your dentist the proper technique in flossing so you don’t accidentally puncture your gums.

Use A Fluoride-Based Toothpaste When You Brush

When you choose a toothpaste find one that is fluoridated since this keeps your enamel strong and it minimizes your risk of developing tooth decay.

Brush Your Teeth Thoroughly

Don’t be in a hurry. Take your time when you brush. Dental health professionals suggest you brush at least two to three minutes a day. This time frame is enough to keep your mouth clean. You can time yourself or you can hum to the tune of a two-minute song so you’ll know if it’s time to stop.

Your Choice of Food and Drinks Matter

As much as possible, limit your consumption of sugary and starchy foods since these can cause tooth decay. Instead, choose healthier teeth-friendly alternatives such as fruits and vegetables.

See Your Dentist At Least Twice A Year

Although brushing and flossing will keep plaque away, it’s not enough to achieve optimum dental health. You need to see your dentist regularly and by regularly we mean booking an appointment once every six months to have your mouth checked for signs of cavities, tooth decay and gum disease. An oral inspection of your mouth will inform your dentist if you need to be treated. These dental visits also involve professional teeth cleaning. Your dentist has the instruments needed to scrape off plaque and stubborn tartar from your teeth.

Takeaway

Maintaining healthy teeth and gums is a lifelong commitment. It doesn’t happen overnight. If you want to keep cavities and gum disease away you need to establish an oral care routine by brushing and flossing your teeth every day, by being conscious about what you eat and drink and by visiting your dentist regularly.

Dr. Michaelangelo Aust is the founder of Modern Family Dentists in Kenosha, WI, a full service dental practice offering general, cosmetic, and restorative dentistry.

What Is Preventive Dental Care?

People are so busy with their lives that they often forget about their oral health. What they don’t realize is that as simple as forgetting to brush their teeth or skipping their dental appointment is enough to put their overall health at risk. When you were younger you’ve been told to care for your teeth and gums. Despite this knowledge people deliberately neglect their oral health because they do not see it as a priority and perhaps the only time they scramble to their feet in panic or visit www.philly-dentist.com to book an appointment is when something terrible has already happened either to their teeth or gums or to both.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in every four Americans suffers from untreated tooth decay. If you do the math, that’s around 2.5 million. Based on CDC’s statistics, 46% of the adult population with ages 30 years old and above manifests symptoms of gum disease while 9% of the American adult population is diagnosed with severe gum disease. Tooth loss and oral cancer are also common oral health problems people face daily.

You can avoid these problems if you practice preventive dental care.

What Is Preventive Dentistry All About?

Preventive dentistry is essential to keep your teeth and gums in tiptop shape for as long as you live. It’s not just about aesthetics or to ensure that your teeth are white and your gums are glistening pink, it’s more than that. When you have healthy teeth and gums it will positively impact your overall health. Preventive dentistry consists of practices and services that will help preserve your oral health.

Part of preventive dentistry is making sure you brush and floss your teeth daily following the proper techniques to ensure that your teeth are free of food particles. Forgetting to brush and floss your teeth will allow plaque to accumulate putting you at risk of tooth decay and gum disease.

Aside from brushing and flossing you are also required to see your dentist for regular dental checkups at least once every six months. Your dentist can check if the brushing and flossing technique you are following is correct or not based on the condition of your teeth and gums. If you are doing it wrong your dentist can correct you. So just imagine if you don’t see your dentist and you’ve been doing it wrong all along? When you follow the wrong techniques, you can prematurely destroy your enamel and cause your gums to abnormally recede.

Also, your dentist can give you advice on how to care for your teeth at home. What type of toothbrush to use (soft-bristled), how long you should brush your teeth (two minutes) and how often you should do it (twice a day the least)? You’ll also be taught what type of food and beverages to avoid that will predispose you to develop cavities and tooth decay. With regular visits to your dentist, he or she will be able to detect problems early and this means early treatment. The earlier you are diagnosed and treated the lesser the chances of your condition to get worse.

Why Is Preventive Dentistry Important?

Basically, preventive dentistry lowers your susceptibility to gum disease, cavities, tooth decay and other dental health problems. It teaches you how to properly care for your teeth and gums; early detection of problems will save you thousands of dollars over treatments. Preventive dental care significantly reduces medical conditions related to your dental problems like cancer, osteoporosis and diabetes.

What you need to do is to see your dentist regularly and follow his or her instructions diligently. When you do these things, you can be confident that your oral health will be in excellent shape for the years to come.

Finding A Great Dentist In My Area

I was looking for a dentist and since I was new to this area, I didn’t know which one to go to. I asked a few co-workers for their opinions on the best dentist and I got varying information. Many of them recommended different dentists, but all of them had good things to say about them. I checked the dentists on my network to see which ones I had to choose from. I decided on one of them and just made the call. I had my first appointment shortly after. I am really happy with the dentist I chose and will continue going there.