Good oral hygiene is important, not only for looks, but for general health as well. Poor oral hygiene can lead to a variety of dental and medical problems such as gum disease, infection, bone loss, heart disease, strokes and more. Regular check ups and cleanings can prevent these problems as well as provide you with good oral hygiene. 1. To Prevent Gum Disease: Gum disease is an infection in the gum tissues and bone that keep your teeth in place and is one of the leading causes of adult tooth loss.
If diagnosed early, it can be treated and reversed. If treatment is not received, a more serious and advanced stage of gum disease may follow.
Regular dental cleanings and check ups, flossing daily and brushing twice a day are key factors in preventing gum disease.
2. To Prevent Oral Cancer: According to The Oral Cancer Foundation, someone dies from oral cancer, every hour of every day in the United States alone.
When you have your dental cleaning, your dentist is also screening you for oral cancer, which is highly curable if diagnosed early.
3. To Keep Your Teeth: Since gum disease is one of the leading causes of tooth loss in adults, regular dental check ups and cleanings, brushing and flossing are vital to keeping as many teeth as you can. Keeping your teeth means better chewing function and ultimately, better health.
4. To Help Maintain Good Physical Health: Recent studies have linked heart attacks and strokes to gum disease, resulting from poor oral hygiene.
A dental cleaning every 6 months helps to keep your teeth and gums healthy and could possibly reduce your risk of heart disease and strokes.
5. To Detect Dental Problems Early: We will be able to detect any early signs of problems with your teeth or gums. Early detection of cavities, broken fillings and gum disease are easily treatable.
If these problems go untreated, root canals, gum surgery and removal of teeth could become the only treatment options available.
6. To Have a Bright and White Smile: Your dental hygienist can remove most tobacco, coffee and tea stains. During your cleaning, your hygienist will also polish your teeth to a beautiful shine. The result? A whiter and brighter smile!
7. To Maintain Good Oral Health: Your dental hygienist will help to ensure that you are maintaining your good oral health by visual examination and comparing your previous dental check ups.
If you are falling off track with your oral hygiene he / she will help put you back on the right path.
8. To Prevent Bad Breath: Dental studies show that about 85 percent of people with persistent bad breath, also known as halitosis have a dental problem that is to blame.
Good oral hygiene is essential in preventing bad breath. Regular check ups and cleanings are the best way to make sure that you are maintaining good oral hygiene.
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| Some of the best mouth-healthy food choices include cheeses, chicken or other meats, nuts, and milk. These foods are thought to protect tooth enamel by providing the calcium and phosphorus needed to re-mineralize teeth (a natural process by which minerals are re-deposited in tooth enamel after being removed from enamel by acids).
Other food choices include firm/crunchy fruits (for example, apples, and pears) and vegetables. These foods have a high water content, which dilutes the effects of the sugars they contain, and stimulate the flow of saliva (which helps protect against decay by washing away food particles and buffering acid).
Acidic foods, such as citrus fruits, tomatoes and lemons, should be eaten as part of a larger meal to minimize the acidic environment to which your teeth and mouth must be exposed.
Poor food choices include candy - such as lollipops, hard candies, and mints -- cookies, cakes, pies, breads, muffins, potato chips, pretzels, french fries, bananas, raisins and other dried fruits.
These foods contain large amounts of sugar and can stick to your teeth, providing a fuel source for bacteria. In addition, cough drops should be used only when necessary as they, like sugary candy, contribute to tooth decay because they continuously coat the teeth with sugar.
The best beverage choices include water (especially fluoridated water), milk, and unsweetened tea. Limit your consumption of sugar-containing drinks, including soft drinks, lemonade, and coffee or tea with added sugar.
Also, avoid day-long sipping of sugar-containing drinks - day-long sipping exposes your teeth to constant sugar and, in turn, constant decay-causing acids.
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