About Oral Health
Dental and oral health are critical components of optimal health and well-being. Poor oral hygiene has been related to heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, as well as dental cavities and gum disease.
It is a lifelong responsibility to keep your teeth and gums healthy. The sooner you learn proper oral hygiene practices like brushing, flossing, and reducing sugar consumption, the easier it will be to prevent expensive dental treatments and long-term health problems.
At Burnaby Square Dental, our mission is to help prevent and treat oral health problems so you can live life the best way you want because good oral health is equivalent to good overall health.
What Can Adults Do to Maintain Good Oral Health?
There are some things you can do to preserve your teeth and keep them in good shape. Brushing your teeth twice a day using fluoride toothpaste is essential. Plaque buildup is prevented by brushing twice a day and flossing at least once a day. If you are a caregiver, make sure to assist those in need with extra help with these duties. Other ways to help maintain good overall and oral health include limiting alcoholic beverages, smoking, and using tobacco products or other substances in general. Make sure to get dental checkups at least twice a year, in addition to your everyday routine, so that a dentist can monitor your oral health and a dental hygienist can help to clean those areas where you cannot clean yourself.
If you have diabetes, pay attention to your diet and the foods you eat, as this can lead to gum disease. If you treat your gum condition, you can also lower your blood sugar levels. If you are taking a drug that causes you to have a dry mouth, talk to your doctor about getting a different prescription or ask a dentist on ways to manage dry mouth so it has less negative effects on your oral health.
Importance of Maintaining Good Dental Hygiene?
Oral and dental health is linked to physical health. Cavities or gum disease can hamper your ability to eat and speak properly, trigger discomfort and cause bad breath. Many people are unaware that poor dental health can have a significant negative impact on aspects other than the mouth, such as the heart, diabetes, breastfeeding, and chronic inflammation, such as arthritis, to name a few.
According to research, gum disease-causing bacteria can migrate to your heart and cause heart disease, clogged arteries, or stroke. Premature births and low birth weight have been related to gum infections like periodontitis in pregnant women. Diabetes lowers the body’s resistance to infection, making the gums more vulnerable to infection, negatively impacting your blood sugar levels. In addition, HIV patients also experience painful mouth sores.
Therefore, practicing proper oral hygiene is essential because it can help you avoid oral disease and dental problems. Overall, the focus should be on prevention.
Benefits of Regular Checkups
Boost Overall Health
Your mouth serves as a portal to your body’s internal organs. It is one of the primary parts of the body that can be examined to identify the first signs of diseases that affect the whole body, such as diabetes. Since they begin as mouth lesions, gum infection, or other dental issues, these systemic diseases can be identified in the mouth.
Earlier Detection of Oral Diseases
Taking proper care of your oral health includes visiting a dentist twice a year. Visit Dr. Kamaei and Dr. Sara at Burnaby Square Dental in Burnaby so that they can examine and check your dental needs regularly. By getting dental examinations, you can be aware of any oral or health conditions that may start or have already developed.
Prevents Tooth Loss
Tooth loss is the leading dental problem experienced by children and adults alike. Often, it is caused by a lack of proper oral hygiene that allows plaque to build up. The plaque, if left untreated, results in dental complications such as a severely decaying tooth or gum infection that would eventually end up in tooth loss.
With the help of regular brushing and flossing your teeth, plaque buildup can be decreased. Still, to ultimately ensure that your oral health is at its best condition, professional dental cleaning is highly required at least twice a year. It is because even daily oral hygiene at home cannot always reach all areas of the teeth and gums.
Helps Your Dentist Create a Personalized Oral Treatment Plan
Each patient has a unique mouth structure and a unique set of dental problems or concerns determined during dental visits. Dental examinations enable the creation of a treatment plan tailored to your specific needs.
Whatever dental issue you are experiencing — misaligned teeth, tooth decay, or something else — Dr. Kamaei or Dr. Sara will work with you to create a customized oral treatment plan. With this plan, you can achieve your desired results while maintaining excellent oral health.
More Cost-Effective
Contrary to what you may believe, not visiting the dentist does not save you from spending money. When you leave your oral health unchecked, it will only likely escalate to conditions requiring more costly treatments. Regularly brushing your teeth and having dental visits will help maintain an excellent oral condition before any dental problems develop further. Your dental visits twice a year, including dental x-rays, may even not cost anything at all if you have dental insurance.
A More Confident You
Your oral health can affect way more than just your physical well-being; it also affects your self-confidence. You won’t have to worry about the appearance of your smile or bad breath with good oral health. These issues may seem ordinary, but they significantly impact your social life. Things that make you happy in general–such as kissing, close-distance conversation, smiling, and laughing– you can do with ease and confidence now!
Final Words
Not all the bacteria residing in your mouth are harmful. In fact, they are harmless as long as they are controlled with proper oral care and with the body’s natural defenses like saliva. However, if the mouth is not cleaned properly for an extended period, bacteria can multiply and cause infections and other oral diseases.
Maintaining proper oral hygiene at all times is crucial in order to avoid these issues. This can be accomplished by brushing your teeth twice daily with fluoride toothpaste, flossing at least once daily, or using an interdental cleaner. You should also consider replacing your toothbrush at least three times a year and maintain a healthy diet with moderate snacking. Make sure to have your regular dental checkups.
Visit Burnaby Square Dental in Burnaby or fill out our online form to schedule an appointment so we can help you maintain a healthy smile and overall well-being.
Frequently Asked Questions
Keeping your teeth healthy fends off diseases and infection from developing, thus saving you away from pain and sickness as well. Having a clean and healthy mouth also makes you feel better and look good.
Oral health starts with having clean teeth, gums, and the in-between, so that gum disease or other dental problems can be avoided. With your teeth’ surface constantly clean by brushing your teeth twice daily, cavities can also be prevented.
When you leave a tooth infection untreated, it may progress and spread into other body parts, leading to harmful conditions. You may experience a fever or swelling if your tooth infection has spread to your body.
Yes, flossing is an integral part of oral hygiene as it removes food deposits and plaque stuck in between your teeth and under the gumline. Otherwise, the plaque will harden into tartar, which creates wedges and increases the space between your teeth and gums. It forms pockets that may loosen the connection between your gums and teeth.
In your first dental visit, the staff will jot down your personal information such as your address, date of birth, and complete medical history. By doing that, the dentist will be aware of any illnesses or medication they may have to look out for to give you safe and effective treatments. You will be recommended to have some x rays taken so that the dentist can deliver a thorough complete exam.
Having regular dental examinations allow for the early detection of dental problems before they develop into something serious. Thus, it helps you avoid getting any costly treatments. A dental hygienist will clean buildup from your teeth and probe surface areas by the gum line with specific tools. You may experience sore and sensitive areas during the cleaning if you haven’t had them for a while.
The best teeth cleaning routine is brushing once in the morning and once at night and then flossing once a day. It is also advisable to brush your teeth after each meal to remove food particles and prevent plaque buildup, which may lead to tooth decay or gum disease. Remember to wait at least 30 minutes after a meal before brushing to protect your enamel, especially after acidic food or drinks.
Fluoride is very important in keeping your teeth strong and in fending off the risks of tooth decay. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Dental Association, and the CDC have confirmed that children must use a fluoride toothpaste in brushing their teeth but must be careful not to swallow it. Likewise, fluoride toothpaste is beneficial for adults.
The cost depends on the extent and complexity of the dental treatment. Regular oral hygiene and preventive teeth cleaning are pretty affordable. Be it specialized or standard floss, a toothbrush and dental floss only costs a few dollars and are only bought from time to time. On the other hand, root canals can be more costly, depending on which tooth and how many will need to be treated.
Yes, sweet, sugary foods and drinks with acids such as candy or soda can harm your teeth enamel more easily and cause cavities. Smoking and consuming other tobacco products are also detrimental and may lead to oral cancer and gum disease.
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