Most people live with the assumption that they have strong teeth, but that’s not always true. While your teeth start off strong, they don’t always hold their integrity as you get older. Getting regular dental check-ups and consulting up with your dentist is the right way to ensure you don’t have any problems.
In some cases, we ignore basic regular dental checkups that lead to cavities, which isn’t always noticeable until the enamel is weakened. By ignoring preventative solutions, you could miss out on catching larger oral problem, such as oral cancer, root infections, enamel erosion and many more. A dental checkup is essential to avoiding severe problems in the long run.
Brushing your teeth and flossing daily isn’t going to be enough, especially if you’re an avid smoker or drinker. Here are more details on how smoking can harm your teeth.
Unfortunately, some people tend to avoid dental problems, until it results in some harmful disease. However, there are actions we can take to prevent it? Here are some easy ways to keep up with your dental health.
Tips to prevent dental problems
People who visit the dentist regularly are most likely to keep up with good oral health. This deserves attribution for the different benefits gained, which we’ll discuss further below. Before that, here are some common methods to prevent dental problems. You may know some of these already, but some may be new. Brushing your teeth at least twice per day is the most basic important part of your dental hygiene.
- Use fluoride toothpaste and floss at least once a day.
- When flossing, dig deep between the teeth about 4 times to remove all debris.
- Avoid the intake of any harmful substances like tobacco or smoking.
- Limit the intake of sugary foods. Drink water or brush your teeth after consuming sugars.
- Be hydrated and avoid sugary drinks.
- Follow a healthy diet with low sugars and low saturated fats.
- Don’t brush aggressively and brush gently at a 45 degree angle.
How does a dental checkup help you?
A dental checkup after every 3 or 6 months is essential. This helps you maintain your dental health, while encounter problem areas that need treatment. Awareness is one of the initial key factors.
According to dental experts, everyone should visit their local dentist at least twice per year. If a problem is noticed, you should do your best to schedule treatment shortly thereafter. If your dentist has advanced dental technology in their practice, they will get a 3D scan of your whole mouth area. This includes the hard and soft tissue, the bone jaw, the teeth and everything in between. They can use this model to begin your treatment recommendations.
They can also use other tools, such as the Velscope oral cancer screening device and many others for both assessment and treatment. In the case of Velscope, if could literally be the difference between life and death.
Avoiding Periodontal Disease
One of the most important benefits of proper maintenance and prevention is avoiding periodontal disease. The CDC has ample data collected through the ADA and other periodontal associations. One common long term negative effect from poor maintenance and checkups is periodontal disease.
Periodontal disease can exacerbate the situation. So much so, that proper treatment requires a dental check up every 3 months. This is not just for checkup, this is also for perio laser treatment.
