What is Preventive Dental Care
Preventive dental care is key if you want to maintain a clean smile and healthy gums. Additionally, preventive care helps you save time, money and frustration down the road.
How?
Because preventive care ensures you’re practicing good oral hygiene to lessen your chances of dental emergencies and infections later on in life. Preventive care identifies dental concerns early on so you can avoid more serious health complications. By practicing preventive oral hygiene, you’re lessening the effects of potential cavities, gingivitis, enamel loss, and periodontitis disease.
Your oral hygiene is representative of your overall health. Bad oral health has been linked to heart disease, diabetes, infections and more. One of the biggest components of preventive dental care and proper oral health is visiting your dentist regularly to catch these problems early on.
Doing Your Part
Beyond going to the dentist, here are some things you can do to practice preventive dental care:
- Flossing: Did you know that only 4 out of every 10 Americans floss regularly? Flossing is a huge part of preventive care because it easily prevents food from turning into plaque and tartar on your teeth.
- Conscious eating/drinking: Certain foods can weaken your enamel and stain your teeth. We’re not saying to never drink coffee ever again, just be mindful of your intake. Too much of anything isn’t healthy. Avoid overindulging in acidic foods that will weaken your enamel and beverages like coffee and red wine that may stain your teeth. You may also be wary of hard candies or bones that chip or damage your teeth.
- Oral appliance: If you grind your teeth at night or suffer from TMJ, you may want to ask your dentist about an oral appliance to keep your teeth from clenching and grinding throughout the night.
- Quit smoking: Aside from compromising your respiratory health, smoking also increases your chances of oral cancer.
- Choose the right toothbrush: The best way to brush your teeth is twice a day for two minutes at a time with a soft-bristled brush. There’s no need to scrub your teeth harshly. It’s actually better to brush gently and for a longer amount of time with a soft brush.