Preventative dentistry are the tasks you do yourself or with the help of your dental team to take care of your teeth. They’re tasks you do to ensure your teeth stay strong and healthy, and to prevent any past dental issues from returning. If you want to keep your teeth for a long as possible, make preventative dentistry tasks a crucial part of your daily routine.
Key benefits of preventative dentistry
Why is preventative dental care important? Preventative dentistry can reduce the risk of developing dental problems such as serious gum infections that might need expensive gum disease treatment. Other key benefits include:
- Help to detect or prevent oral cancer:Oral cancer is a serious disease and only 60 percent of sufferers tend to survive it. Therefore, don’t take it lightly. Visit your dentist regularly for a routine dental exam so they can screen for oral cancer and other diseases.
- Keeps serious health conditions at bay:Good oral health promotes good physical and mental health. There’s evidence that poor oral health influences cardiovascular disease, diabetes, coronary artery disease, and risks that can affect pregnancy. When a person is embarrassed or anxious about the poor condition of their teeth and gums, it can affect their mental health and emotional well-being, causing them to have low self-esteem and avoid social interaction. Any extreme pain in the mouth will also disrupt their life, including sleep.
- Maintains a beautiful smile:The sooner you seek dental treatment (e.g. getting dental filling treatment or early cavity treatment), the sooner you can help your teeth and gums stay healthy, which helps to maintain an attractive smile.
- Saves you a lot of money:Although preventative dentistry may not entirely eliminate the need for any dental treatments, if you catch and address the issues early, you might not need expensive treatments or solutions such as root canals, dental implants, bone grafting, or extensive crowns and bridges. Even if you have dental insurance, the out-of-pocket cost of some treatments and repairs adds up pretty quickly, especially if you need a tooth cavity treatment or gum disease treatment.
Preventative steps to start doing today
Here are our top 5 preventative dentistry for good oral health:
- Brush twice a day:The most important part of preventive dentistry is to brush your teeth daily. Remember to replace your toothbrush every two months (or if using an electric toothbrush, replace its head as per instructions).
- Floss daily:Daily flossing removes debris from between the teeth. If you’re wearing braces, you may need to take greater care to floss between the metal brackets. If unsure how to floss, ask your dentist for a demonstration.
- Clean your tongue:This will freshen your breath and also reduce the bacteria that causes tooth decay and cavities.
- Eat a healthier diet:The food you eat contributes to whether your teeth remain healthy. For example, too much sugar can cause tooth decay and cavities, and hard food can crack the tooth enamel.
- Visit your dental team regularly:See your dental hygienist at least once a year, so they can clean your teeth. They can also detect anything alarming that needs addressing and take some digital dental x-rays to help your dentist investigate further. Your dentist can then follow up to take care of the issue.
We highly recommend that these tasks also be taught to children as they should maintain these healthy habits as they grow.
Ask for professional help
Our dental team can detect early signs of dental issues and can recommend professional treatment and anything you can do at home to help prevent these issues from turning into serious dental diseases. Book an appointment today at (805) 644-0600 for a check-up for your own peace of mind.
Our articles are not intended to be a substitute for professional dental advice, diagnosis, or treatment with your dentist, dental hygienist, or other medical professionals. We recommend always contact our professional team if you or the person you care for has any concerns about their oral health.