Monthly Archives: January 2016

How Preventative Dental Care Can Help You Save Both Money and Time

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A woman getting her teeth cleaned by dentist.

Not taking proper care of your teeth and neglecting your oral health can easily cost you thousands of dollars in restorative dental care. But, by practicing what’s known as preventative dental care, you can easily save yourself from the hassle of having to deal with and spending money for various dental problems.

Preventative dental care emphasizes the proper education, treatment and practice of maintaining good oral health. It involves brushing daily, flossing, rinsing and even regular dental cleanings, all of which are designed to help prevent gum disease, cavities and a wide range of other dental problems.

In-Office Procedures

Preventative treatment can occur in the dental chair, with the most common form being the dental exam itself.

The main purpose of a dental exam is to thoroughly check the teeth for any possible signs of gum disease, dental decay, cavities, so on. Taking X-rays occasionally may also be necessary.

After the examination, the dental practitioner can recommend a thorough cleaning, which is also one of the best ways to keep cavities and gum disease at bay.

Most of the time, one appointment is more than enough. However, if you haven’t been visiting the dentist often for regular maintenance and checkups, more than one appointment may be required. And, if infection and other complications are already present, your dental practitioner may have to refer you to another specialist.

Preventative Dentistry in Children

The best way to prevent gum disease and other oral complications is to start early, which is why preventative dentistry in children is very important.

As early as 1 to 2 years old, children should be taken to the dentist regularly to ensure a lifetime of dental health.

For further preventative measures, sealants that can help prevent decay during the years (between ages of 6 and 12) the permanent molars start to erupt may also be applied.

Orthodontics and the wearing of braces is also a popular choice among parents as this helps prevent misalignment as a child’s jaw slowly matures into adulthood.

All in all, the key here is for parents to teach children proper dental hygiene habits and more importantly, be role models themselves.

Benefits and Goals of Preventative Dentistry

Preventative dentistry comes in many forms, including fluoride use, following a well-balanced diet, visiting the dentist regularly, regular dental cleanings and screenings, X-rays, use of mouth guards, oral health management and so on.

The main goal here is to prevent all sorts of oral complications from gum disease, sensitivity, cavities, oral cancer, as well as many others and keep them at bay. And, when you consider the costs of treatment versus prevention, preferring the latter is a NO-brainer of a decision. Also, now that oral health has been proven to affect our overall health, there’s really no reason NOT to emphasize the importance of preventative dentistry.

All things considered, preventative dentistry can not only save you both time and money, but it can also help you enjoy and look forward to a lifetime’s worth of a healthy smile!

Can You Reverse Tooth Decay?

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A woman is brushing her teeth with a tooth brush.

Proper oral care is rather simple – take good care of your teeth or your smile will suffer for it. But, simple, doesn’t always mean easy. If it were, then people won’t have to worry about having any dental problem and dentists won’t have as many patients.

The truth is, dental problems affect people of all ages today and one of the most common is tooth decay.

Tooth decay is what happens when the bacteria in plaque have produced enough acid in your mouth to destroy your tooth enamel. Being that bacteria are always present in your mouth, the key to preventing tooth decay is to always exercise proper oral care.

What happens, though, once the damage has been done? Can the effects of tooth decay still be reversed?

Visiting Your Dentist

Well, sadly, there are no immediate and magical cures for tooth decay. Also, when it comes to tooth decay, you’re better off taking steps to preventing it rather than trying to undo the damage it has done, which is near-impossible to do so.

What you can do, however, is to start scheduling regular appointments with the dentist. They can help you prevent tooth decay, or at least, prevent it from progressing any further. Also, they can check your teeth for cavities and other dental problems. They can also clean your teeth and gums to get rid of as much plaque, as well as bacteria as possible.

Basic Dental Habits

While undoing the damage done by tooth decay is already out of the question, you can at least defend yourself from it. You can start by brushing twice a day to help rid your teeth of plaque and food particles that are partly responsible for tooth decay. Flossing and rinsing regularly also helps in this regard.

Use Fluoride Toothpaste

Fluoride is a key ingredient in helping prevent tooth decay and keeping your smile as bright as it can be. Fluoride can also help reverse the mild effects of tooth decay, making it even more important of an ingredient.

Brushing with fluoride toothpaste and rinsing with a fluoride rinse will keep your teeth healthy and prevent tooth decay

Use Sugarless Gum

If you’re going to chew on gum, go sugarless.

As it turns out, the chewing of gum can help stimulate saliva production. The more your mouth produces saliva, the more it’s able to neutralize and wash away the acids on your teeth, helping prevent tooth decay.

By chewing on sugarless gum regularly, you have a great option that helps keep your teeth nice and clean in between brushing and flossing. As a bonus, your breath will almost always smell fresh.

Just remember to chew on sugarless gum that’s been sweetened with Xylitol, not just any other regular gum that’s full of sugar.

Use Mouthwash

Mouthwash can also help prevent tooth decay by reducing the amount of bacteria present in your mouth.

You can choose to buy an over-the-counter mouthwash, or get a prescription mouthwash from your dentist.

Keeping Tooth Decay at Bay

By giving your teeth all the tender loving care that they deserve, you can help make sure that they’re in clean and healthy for many more years to come!

Make an appointment today for a check up and cleaning with Clive Rosenbusch DDS at 561-394-7888 or by visiting the website at www.cliverosenbuschdds.com.