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The latest news on COVID-19:

During the COVID-19 crisis, get updates and information at ADA and your state’s website. Please follow the official guidance, stay safe and help limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Contact Us if you have more questions and thank you for your cooperation.

Why Preventive Dentistry Really Is Important

Author: Isabelle Brown
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Isabelle Brown

Isabelle Brown is a dental hygienist.
10.22.14 / 9:30 am

Prevention is better than cure – our parents, guardians and teachers taught this to us to ensure we realized the importance of maintaining good health. Preventive dentistry also focuses on preventing dental issues rather than looking at ways to cure them. At the heart of preventive dentistry is the belief that if one follows all the important steps of maintaining good oral hygiene, several dental issues can be prevented.

Why do I need preventive dentistry?
If you speak to any of the dentists in Unionville or the surrounding regions of Markham, they’ll tell you that most of the dental issues that their clients experience result from poor oral hygiene. Failing to brush and floss teeth regularly and skipping dental visits explains the increase in dental emergency cases in Markham. People don’t maintain oral hygiene and ignore their dental health until it creates major issues for them. Instead of relying on a cure to treat dental ailments, preventive dentistry focuses on taking care of one’s teeth so the risk of developing a major disease diminishes.

What does preventive dentistry include?
Preventive dentistry generally includes the following:
Regular brushing and flossing
Healthy diet
Patient education
Fluoride use
Routine dental visits
Injury protection

Let’s get some information on the above-mentioned aspects of preventive dentistry.

Regular brushing and flossing – Brushing your teeth twice everyday and flossing at least once helps remove plaque from the teeth. If you don’t brush or floss regularly, plaque can build up inside your mouth to create tartar – acid-producing bacteria that cause tooth decay and gum disease. An important thing to remember is that while many people make it a point to brush twice a day, the duration for which they brush is often less than a minute. Most dentists in Markham recommend that one should brush for at least two minutes.

Healthy diet – In addition to regular brushing and flossing, having a healthy diet also plays a major role in preventive dentistry. Eating cheese, chicken, nuts and meat protects tooth enamel while chocolates and carbonated soft drinks increase the risk of tooth decay and gum diseases. Eating a healthy diet not only benefits dental health but also works wonders for your overall health.

Patient education – People who are aware of the consequences of poor oral hygiene are more likely to take their dental health seriously. Educating people through public forums, media and other avenues instils excellent oral hygiene habits and ensures they make an informed decision about their dental health.

Fluoride use – For more than half a century, fluoride has been used as a defense against tooth decay. Markham’s water comes from Lake Ontario and is treated to make it safe for drinking and other public use. Addition of fluoride in Markham’s water works as a preventive measure for the entire community. Fluoride is also present in toothpastes, gels and foams.

Routine dental visits – Many dental problems don’t have any major signs or symptoms until they reach an advanced stage. Therefore, it is important to visit a dentist every six months to detect any problems while they are at a nascent stage. Dentists have the tools and equipment to carry out a complete dental check-up and prevent dental ailments from reaching a serious stage.

Injury protection – Even if you maintain good oral hygiene, an injury suffered due to an accident can seriously affect your dental health. Therefore, it’s important that you take appropriate care to save your teeth from injuries. It is advisable to wear a mouthguard while playing outdoor sports. Wearing a helmet when riding a bike also helps prevent serious injuries.

There are a number of reputable dental services in Markham that teach the importance of preventive dentistry to their patients. There is also a plethora of information available on the internet that you can read to get more information about preventive dentistry. You can do your bit to raise awareness about preventive dentistry by sharing this article with your loved ones.

Avatar

Isabelle Brown is a dental hygienist.

Avatar

Isabelle Brown

Isabelle Brown is a dental hygienist.

6 responses to “Why Preventive Dentistry Really Is Important”

  1. It’s human nature to be reactive rather than proactive and dental care is no stranger to this. Often times things can be avoided if caught early on.

  2. I agree, preventative dentistry is the most important. In the long run it is also the most cheap and less stressful, too. My reccomendations are to always keep your teeth clean (floss, brush and rinse at least 2x a day, if you can do 3 it is better!), have a healthy diet (limit sugar intake/acidic intake), and go to the dentist for check ups very 6 months. Following these guidelines you will have a healthy smile that will not cause you a headache later down the line.

  3. Preventative dentistry is one of the most important factors to not only maintaining the health of your mouth, but your entire body. If you neglect to floss, you are neglecting 60% of your teeth, and many people do not brush twice a day as recommended. It is not difficult to avoid dental problems, even though some are inevitable. However, a large amount of the onus does go on the patient for proper maintenance between visits. I’m sure we’ve all had that one patient with uneven dental hygiene whose only concern about their teeth come up when they go to visit the dentist, and then the cycle starts up again.

  4. That’s good to know that you should visit a dentist every six months in order to help diagnose problems at a nascent stage so they can prevent them from becoming serious. My back molar has been hurting recently so I wanted to see if it could be something serious or not. I’ll have to set up an appointment with a dentist nearby so they can tell me what the problem is and then I’ll have to start getting regular appointments to prevent any further pain.

  5. Preventive dentistry is really important. They provide good benefits to people and helps to deal with dental problems. Regular dental cleaning like brushing and flossing can help a lot but along with that one should visit dentistry from time to time. As they provide not only techniques and tips to deal with dental issues it is a plus point for everyone.
    Preventive dentistry Merced CA

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