Posted on Wed, Mar 10, 2010 @ 08:58 AM
9 Facts Your Dentist Wants You to Know
1. Dental Check Ups are Extremely Important and Include Oral Cancer Screenings
Going to the dentist for regular checkups & cleanings is one of the most important factors in maintaining good oral health. Regular checkups can prevent cavities, root canals, gum disease, oral cancer, and other dental conditions.
During your regular dental examination, your dentist is also checking you for any signs of oral cancer. In the United States every hour one person dies of oral cancer. This serious oral disease can occur in the mouth, on the lips or throat is often highly curable if diagnosed and treated in the early stages. Visiting your dentist for regular checkups and avoiding tobacco are the main factors in preventing oral cancer.
Don't wait until you have a problem before you see your dentist; help prevent problems before they happen.
2. Gum Disease (Periodontal) Influences Your Overall Health
Gum disease is one of the main reasons of tooth loss in adults. It is also linked to heart disease, strokes and diabetes. In the early stages the disease (gingivitis) can be easily treated and reversed. If treatment is not received, it becomes more serious and advanced and is called Periodontitis, bone loss occurs at this stage. Brushing twice a day for 2 minutes, daily flossing, and regular dental checkups and cleanings are the best prevention against gum disease.
3. Help Keep the Cavities Away by Brushing Twice a Day
Brushing your teeth properly, twice a day, removes the plaque that causes cavities. Plaque is the soft and sticky substance that accumulates on the teeth from food debris and bacteria. Flossing removes the plaque from in between the teeth that the toothbrush cannot reach and should be done prior to brushing. Removing plaque from your teeth also helps to prevent gum disease.
4. Bad Breath may be due to a Dental Problem
Roughly 85% of people with bad breath have a dental condition that is to blame. If a dental condition is the cause of bad breath, mouthwash will only mask the odor but not cure it. Don't be embarrassed to talk to your dentist; we are there to help you. Daily flossing and brushing your teeth & tongue twice a day can greatly reduce and possibly eliminate bad breath. If not please mention it during your visit.
5. Proper Diet is Important for Good Dental Health
Sugars in soft drinks and non-nutritional foods feed the bacteria in our mouth; these produce acids that attack tooth enamel. This soften it's and can lead to cavities and gum disease. Limiting the amount of high sugar drinks and foods can greatly help to maintain good dental health.
6. Dental Problems Never Better or Go Away Without Treatment
If your dentist gives you a treatment plan for dental work that you require, you should focus on getting your teeth fixed as soon as you can. Even cavities will continue to get bigger. If they get big enough to reach the nerve in your tooth, your only options would be to have a root canal or have the tooth extracted. Also the longer a problem persists generally the more expensive it may become to fix.
7. Root Canal Treatments are usually Painless
In the past once a root canal treatment was suggested "Oh, just pull the tooth, I've heard root canals are agony!" was the general response I heard. With today's technology, root canals are nothing like most people think. A root canal should be as painless as having a filling done. With our state of the art equipment it also takes a lot less time.
8. Change Your Toothbrush Regularly
Manual toothbrushes become worn out after about 3 months and are no longer work as well as they once did. A soft toothbrush is also recommended.
If you have gum disease, you should change your toothbrush every 4 - 6 weeks because bacteria can harbor in the bristles until the disease is treated. You should always rinse your toothbrush out with hot water after every use and change it after you have been sick.
9. Maintaining Good Dental Health is not Time Consuming
Brushing for 2 minutes twice a day plus flossing totals about 8 minutes in total per day! Seeing your dentist for regular dental checkups and cleanings about 30 minutes twice yearly!
Posted on Mon, Mar 08, 2010 @ 07:36 AM
Redmond Molloy is delighted to announce that we have been invited to provide a range of articles on Dentistry for the new magazine called The Queue, a magazine for healthcare waiting rooms around Ireland. The magazine launches in late March and we wish The Queue team the very best with their new business.
Log on to www.thequeue.ie for more information.
Above: one of our many nice waiting rooms (Sir John Rogerson's Quay)