Dental care is vital to a healthy lifestyle. No matter if it’s because you’d like to keep your teeth pearly white and shining or if you want to prevent bigger issues down the road, going to the dentist on a regular basis is a must. Some believe that poor dental care only impacts your mouth, but nothing could be further from the truth. Poor dental care can lead to other health issues that not only impair your ability to eat but may also impair your ability to live a healthy, active, and successful life. Below are some reasons you should go to the dentist on a regular basis.
Plaque, cavities, or other tartar buildup that creates worse problems: many people may believe that brushing and flossing regularly are all you need to do to maintain proper oral health. However, that assumption is incorrect. Only a New Hyde Park dentist, with specialized tools, can provide the proper cleaning you need to help get rid of plaque and tartar that build up even in the cleanest and well-kept of mouths. Additionally, a dental surgeon at our Lake Success office will be able to correct cavities, something that no person can do on their own without specific training and equipment found only in dental offices.
Gum disease: thousands of people believe that gum disease is easily detectable or will just not happen to them no matter how they treat their teeth. However, gum disease is a serious issue that is difficult to diagnose on your own and instead requires an experienced New Hyde Park dentist or dental staff to identify it and then suggest and implement a treatment scheme that will help combat it.
Stops bad habits from making things worse: many of us have bad habits that we are either unable or unwilling to stop. This can include drinking too many sugary, acidic beverages such as soda, beverages that stain, such as red wine, smoking, or eating too many sweet things that can damage your teeth, such as hard candy. Visiting your dentist regularly can keep these harmful habits in check through cleaning and maintenance.
Detecting oral cancer or other important and life-threatening diseases: for many who deal with oral cancer or have successfully beat it, they likely often wish they had gone to the dentist earlier so they could begin treatment immediately. The symptoms of oral cancer, while familiar to a New Hyde Park dentist, are difficult to detect by dental patients themselves. Going to a dentist at our Lake Success office regularly will reduce the risk you will have to face such a catastrophic moment.
No matter what reason you have to go to the dentist regularly, it is important that you make an appointment as soon as possible. Proper dental care is essential to a healthy body and healthy life. Call our office in Lake Success today so we can book you an appointment with a New Hyde Park Dental professional who will take care of all of your needs.
Oral or dental problems are one of the most common diseases affecting humans and one of the least treated. Oral health can be a reflection of our body’s general health. Keeping a good oral hygiene is much more important than we think. Many diseases and health problems can be related to our oral health. Ideally, we should get used to having good cleaning habits from an early age. It is important to encourage these habits to children, as they love sweets and treats so much.
Studies show that oral diseases affect half of the world’s population, with tooth decay being the most common condition. Besides causing pain, discomfort and disfigurement, there are other problems related to poor oral hygiene like periodontal gum disease, which may result in tooth loss, oral cancer, noma, which is a condition affecting mostly malnourished children, and even death.
Our mouth is full of bacteria. Usually a good oral hygiene will be a great ally along with our natural defenses to keep these bacteria under control. But when a person has bad oral habits, those bacteria can grow in number and pass into the bloodstream reaching different organs in our body and causing disease. In addition, some diseases can decrease our immune system response, making these problems worse.
Lets review 7 Oral Health Tips and Tricks for a Healthy Holiday Season
As we mentioned above, bacteria can proliferate when our teeth are exposed to food that is rich in sugars and carbohydrates. These meals are abundant particularly during the holiday season. But if we follow these easy tips we will maintain our oral health in great condition and will be able to enjoy all the season’s delicacies with no worries.
Follow a balanced diet and avoid eating too much sugar.
Although this can be difficult to accomplish during the holidays, keep in mind that your teeth’s health may be at risk. Diets low in sugars and carbohydrates have been in vogue lately. They are successful for losing weight and keeping a healthy lifestyle. But what effects can these diets have on our oral health? As we know, bacteria feed on sugar and carbs. They break this sugars into acids, which in turn are responsible for decreasing the minerals that compose the tooth enamel, thus causing plaque build up and cavities. Whenever we eat, we need to make sure we clean our teeth in order to avoid this problem.
Tooth Brushing
Brushing our teeth is a good habit that we should develop preferably from childhood. Dentists recommend to brush our teeth after each meal or at least twice a day. Make sure to use a fluoride-containing toothpaste that is ADA-approved. Fluoride prevents cavities from forming by stopping the breakdown of the enamel and increasing its regeneration. A good brushing should last for at least 2 minutes, and don’t forget the tongue!
Dental Floss
This is a very effective and necessary procedure to prevent tooth decay. Dental floss is a thin cord that you can slide between your teeth to get rid of plaque and food particles. This is usually done after brushing to get into areas that a regular toothbrush can’t reach. Try to do it everyday, especially before going to bed. In this way, you will make sure there are no food particles left between your teeth.
Nowadays there is a great variety of power flossers on the market. These flossers send a stream of pressurized water or air between your teeth, which like the cord flosser, helps to get rid of food debris.
Mouthwash
Their effects depend on the type of mouthwash. The special thing to consider is that mouthwash does not replace a brushing and flossing routine. Their main purpose is to refresh breath. Some of them can help protect teeth against acids because they contain fluoride. Others contain a variety of ingredients that battle bacteria and germs. They can also be helpful to remove traces or particles of food. No matter the type of mouthwash, be sure to read the label carefully and follow its instructions. Many mouthwashes are very concentrated and you will need to dilute them prior to their usage, otherwise they could become irritating. To use them swish the liquid around your mouth for at least 30 seconds and then spit it out. Avoid swallowing it.
Avoid tobacco
Whether used in cigarettes, smoking pipes, cigars, or chewed, tobacco causes many oral problems. Among these problems, we could mention halitosis or bad breath, teeth discoloration, loss of jaw bone, inflammation of the salivary glands, leukoplakia, or the development of white spots on the mucosa, plaque build-up, gum disease and tooth decay. But of all of them, there is no doubt that the worst consequence is the development of oral cancer. The risk of suffering an oral cavity cancer in a smoker is 6 times greater than that of a non-smoker.
Brush replacement
Toothbrushes can grow bacteria, fungi and viruses, so after each use be sure to wash it well with clean running water and place it in an upright position for ventilation. After continuous use, toothbrushes lose their effectiveness in removing plaque from teeth and gums, as their bristles lose their strength. For this reason, it is advisable to change it every 3 months.
Scheduled dental checkups
Regular visits to the dentist are necessary even if we have our teeth in good condition. Only the dentist will be able to do a profound cleaning to remove tartar that cannot be removed with a simple brushing at home. The dentist will also look for the presence of cavities or inflammations and will help us to solve the problem. For a person with good oral health, 1 to 2 visits per year will be enough. But if you are prone to cavities or infections, your dentist will give you a better advise on how often you should go for a check-up.
Nobody wants their Holiday season to be ruined by a toothache or any painful oral disease. Taking care of our teeth is as important as taking care of any other medical condition. The tips we mentioned before are the best way to engage into a good oral care. In reality, the important thing is to brush and floss your teeth after each meal. If you are not going to do it, make sure you don’t consume too many carbohydrates and sugars. Make sure to pay a regular visit to the dentist and take good care of your teeth because once you lose them, they will be gone forever! Besides, dental procedures are quite expensive, so good oral habits will help you save money.
