Are you one of the more than 30 percent of Americans who haven’t seen a dentist in a year or more? If so, we encourage you to come into our office for a visit as soon as possible. The
American Dental Association recommends twice-yearly cleanings and check-ups with good reason - prevention is always less costly and time consuming than treating problems.
Your best defense against issues like tooth decay and gingivitis is regular dental care. Preventative dentistry focuses on maintaining the health of your teeth and gums. When patients lapse in their home dental care routine or skip going to the dentist for a few years, problems in the mouth compound. Minor dental issues can become significant events. For example, what starts as a small cavity that requires a filling could become a much larger cavity that needs a root canal to save your tooth.
Good practices for preventing dental problems include:
- brushing two times a day
- flossing at least once a day
- visiting us for professional cleanings regularly
- having regular x-rays to discover problems invisible to the eyes
- using home care tools recommended by your dentist
- treating problems when your dentist advises it
Our dental hygienists are very knowledgeable and help you learn how to care for your teeth well at home. We can answer questions you have about brushing, flossing, or anything else related to caring for your mouth. Together we can defeat tooth decay and gingivitis to avoid the long-term problems they cause.
We understand that good oral health can be especially difficult for some patients who need to use certain medications and medical treatments. In these cases, we can create a customized dental care program to keep your mouth as healthy as possible. Your oral health supports and reflects your total body’s health, and we want our patients to be in tip-top shape.
To help you, we need to see you regularly. The frequency of dental visits depends on your situation. Healthy individuals and young people often visit us twice a year for cleanings and checkups. For those of you with active dental disease, we will need to see you more often until we get your mouth back to a healthy balance. If it’s been a while since you have seen a dentist, don’t delay. Please schedule an appointment with us today.