Taking care of your car helps you avoid costly repairs. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle of exercise and a good diet and regular visits to the doctor keep you in the know about health conditions that can require costly, long-term medication or treatment. It is better and easier to take preventative measures, no matter how unpleasant they may be, than to not do anything and let a catastrophic repair or major health issue occur.
That same logic or adage is the same for your dental health. The preventative work you do on a daily basis will help you maintain great oral health for a lifetime, and could help you avoid costly dental work.
What is preventative dental work?
1- Brush and floss daily! You’ve heard it before, but we will say it again: You need to brush your teeth twice a day for two minutes each time you brush. You should also floss at least once a day.
2- Take notice about how how teeth and gums feel. Do you have sensitivity when you eat hot or cold foods? Have you noticed discoloration? Do your gums bleed when you brush or floss? Having pain when you eat? These are all things to think about, and bring up during your appointment.
3- Work towards demolishing your fear of the dentist. If you happen to be afraid of coming in for an appointment, just remember that it’s our goal to keep your mouth healthy, and prevent pain. We love to see you smile!
What to do if you haven’t been to the dentist in a while?
If you’re someone who has avoided the dentist because everything seems ok with your teeth, we advise you to come in for a cleaning. We want to make sure your teeth are in great shape to save you pain and money later down the road.
With regular appointments, we would inform you about the best way to care for your teeth and gums at home while possibly catching the onslaught of the build-up of plaque and bacteria that caused both the tooth decay and gum disease.
Being armed with the proper personal oral hygiene procedures as well as having the discipline and dedication to carry it out every day could prevent the costly and painful dental health issues.
If your tooth or teeth were so severely decayed that they had to be extracted, you’d likely need implants.
The takeaway is that the daily, mundane routine of proper at-home oral hygiene, as boring and time-consuming as it may seem, can save you thousands of dollars from major dental procedures.
Don’t wait until something doesn’t look or feel right to see a dentist. Having your teeth cleaned and thoroughly examined beforehand will alert you of possible issues and serve as a wake-up call for better oral hygiene.
If it has been a while since your last visit to a dental office, contact us at Stonecrest Family Dentistry today to set up an appointment.