6 Great Dental Hygiene Practices

Great dental hygiene is key to maintaining great oral health. Make these 6 tips part of your everyday routine!(Portable X-ray Machine)

Keeping your mouth healthy is one of the most important things that you can do for your health.  Poor oral hygiene affects more than just your mouth – for example, gum disease is associated with an increased risk of stroke, diabetes, and heart disease! Of course you want bright white teeth and a healthy smile, too!

The good news is, it’s not hard or time consuming to care for your teeth.  Follow these simple dental hygiene tips for a healthier mouth!
1. Brush Your Teeth Twice a Day

Use a soft-bristled brush that’s gentle on delicate gums to brush your teeth twice a day, for at least 2 minutes each time.  Your toothbrush bristles can wear out though, so replace that brush every 3 or 4 months.

If you really want to be a perfect caregiver to your teeth, brush after every meal too!  And always, no matter what, brush before you go to sleep at night.
2. Use a Toothpaste with Fluoride

The use of fluoride-containing toothpaste reduces the incidence of tooth decay.  Better yet, it can help to reverse tooth decay that’s already started!  Just make sure you don’t swallow any though – rinse well after use.   Once your child is aged 3 years of age or more, and is capable of ensuring that they don’t swallow any toothpaste, you can use a fluoridated one for them too!
3. Brush Your Tongue

Brushing your tongue gets rid of bacteria and helps to maintain fresh breath.  Do this each time you brush your teeth – it only takes a few extra seconds of your time.  And the next time you find yourself talking to someone in a crowded elevator, you’ll be glad you have fresh breath!
4. Flossing Your Teeth is an Essential Dental Hygiene Practice

If all you do is brush your teeth, you’ll miss out on over 1/3 of the surface of your teeth.  So add flossing to your routine, at minimum, once a day.  Pass the time by doing it while listening to music or watching TV.  Floss your teeth before you brush – this is more effective at preventing tooth decay than doing it the other way around.
5. Visit Your Family Dentist Regularly for a Professional Tooth Cleaning

Most people should visit the dentist twice per year for a professional tooth cleaning and polishing.  This helps to catch problems early, when they’re still small and easily dealt with.  In some circumstances it might be advisable to visit more often – your dentist will advise you if this is the case.

Your dental team has tools that do a great job of removing plaque build-up, and can often clean those hard-to reach areas that your best efforts missed.
6. Minimize Sugary Snacks and Beverages

Sugar provides food for bacteria in your mouth that produce an acid that wears away at your teeth, eventually leading to cavities.  Proper brushing and flossing techniques go a long way towards preventing this, but you can give those efforts a boost by avoiding sugary snacks and drinks.  Look out for fruit juice too!  It sounds healthy, but in fact, can contain just as much sugar as some soda pops since many juice manufacturers include a lot of added sugar.
Incorporating These Dental Hygiene Practices Into Your Routine is Easy

New habits often feel like a lot of work at first, but the longer you keep at it, the easier it becomes to stick with it.  And the benefits of using good dental hygiene practices for your dental health are worth it.  You’ll have fewer cavities, fewer complicated dental procedures, and save money too (since the cost of dental care adds up!)(Teeth Whitening Machine for Sale)

Spring Cleaning: Replacing Your Dental Products

It’s that time of year again—Spring Cleaning. The time to de-clutter your home and make room for the new. Just make sure you don’t overlook your dental products. Even those need to be replaced every so often to keep your smile as fresh and clean as your home.(Teeth Whitening Machine)

The best place to start your dental spring cleaning is your toothbrush. Toothbrushes should be replaced every three months or earlier if the bristles are starting to look worn or frayed. They should also be replaced after illnesses.

Your toothpaste lasts a lot longer. Most toothpastes have a shelf life of about two years after manufacture. If you aren’t sure how long you’ve had yours, check for changes in texture that indicate that a fluoride paste may have lost its efficacy. If the toothpaste is hard to get out of the tube or has lost its original foaminess, it might be time to toss it!

Your mouthwash has an extremely long shelf life due to the alcohol content, so you can keep using the same bottle for years. Mouthwash can typically be stored for three years, but make sure you keep the bottle capped and in a cool dry area for the best results. Capping the bottle prevents the evaporation of water and alcohol, which can cause a change in the taste and effectiveness of the mouthwash.

And remember, no spring dental cleaning is complete without a visit to the dentist.(Portable X-ray Machine)

Effects of Dental Care on Education

Is your child not doing well in school? Parents usually turn to tutors or computer programs designed to improve classroom performance- but have you checked their teeth? A study published in the American Journal of Public Health in 2012 found that poor oral health, dental disease and tooth pain can all affect how a child does in school, adding academic performance to the list of things that can be impacted by dental health.(dental lab equipment)

Recently, the Contra Costa Times, a California news source, published an article further explaining how children’s teeth may influence how they do in school.

Thinking of the future
According to the news source, dental advocates across the state have been working together to come up with a plan for how to extend access to dental care to all children. Dentists have gone so far as to say that dental disease is at “epidemic” levels among California children.

“The issue is huge,” Gordon Jackson, director of the state’s Department of Education’s Coordinated Student Support and Adult Education Division, told the Contra Costa Times. This group oversees health, counseling and other support programs provided at schools. “Tooth decay remains one of the most chronic diseases for children and adolescents. As we’re having the conversation about California’s future and student academic achievement, we have to have a conversation about oral health as well.”

The news source also spoke to dental hygienist, Linda Cannon, who screens for tooth decay, cleans teeth and applies fluoride varnish and sealants to children at local schools.  She said that she often sees kids whose teeth look as though they have never seen the inside of a dental office before. Of the nearly 400 kids she examined in the past two years, nearly three-quarters of those in elementary school and half of middle schoolers were showing signs of tooth decay.

The Contra Costa Times added that dental issues cost California schools $30 million in attendance-based funding each year due to so many kids missing school because of dental pain. Because of this, schools have vested an interest in improving the health of children’s teeth and getting kids back into the classroom.

Signs of trouble
It’s important for you to spot early signs dental problems in your child before they escalate. The American Academy of Periodontology states that you should examine your child’s mouth to see if he or she has gums that are red, swollen or receding from the teeth, all of which are signs of gum disease. Furthermore, if your child reports that their gums bleed while brushing or flushing, it’s time to head to the dentist.

Make sure to establish good dental health habits early on and take your child to the dentist when their first tooth appears, or by age 1, whichever comes first. Also, serve as a good role model by brushing and flossing regularly and talking about the dentist in a positive tone so that your child is not afraid of the idea of going to a dental health professional. Studies have shown that parents pass a fear of the dentist onto their kids, so keep that in mind next time you want to roll your eyes when the dentist is mentioned.

We may not realize how important our children’s dental care affects other aspects of their lives. Is your school district doing their part? Let us know in your comments below!(Dental Autoclave)

Will Dental Implants Work for Me?

On the surface, you might think that tooth loss is just that - tooth loss in the sense that there is no tooth in the place where a tooth used to be. But tooth loss can have a much more drastic effect on your oral health and your overall physical appearance if it is left untreated. For instance, when you lose a tooth, the bone that supports it begins to melt away, which can cause a "caved in" like appearance to people's mouths if the issue isn't resolved either through dental implants or dentures.（Autoclave Sterilizer）

But that's not all - tooth loss can also take its toll on the remaining teeth in one's mouth. Tooth loss can cause other teeth to shift around in the mouth, impacting the jaw, muscles and joints. Hence, when tooth loss occurs - for whatever the reason - it's important to get the issue resolved as quickly as possible to prevent these aforementioned aftereffects from occurring. And that's where dental implants come into play.
Dental Implants Explained

So just what is a dental implant? It's a corrective tooth device that is surgically connected to the jawbone, essentially allowing a dentist to replace missing teeth with artificial ones. The first step to installing a dental implant is fusing metal posts or frames into the jawbone, directly beneath the gum, to give an artificial tooth a place to be mounted. Once mounted, the implant will provide stability for the artificial tooth, thereby preventing any shifting or slipping within the mouth and eliminating the problems from tooth loss that we mentioned in the previous section.

There are two main types of dental implants:

    Endosteal: These types of implants are surgically implanted directly onto the jawbone and consist of a second surgery to connect a post to the initial implant. Following the second procedure, the tooth is installed.
    Subperiosteal: With this type of implant, a metal frame is fitted onto the jawbone, eventually becoming fixed to the bone as the gums begin to heal from the procedure. Posts are then attached to the frame and artificial teeth are attached to the posts.

Will Dental Implants Work?

The simple answer is "yes" as dental implants are an effective and safe means for correcting tooth loss issues, should your gums be healthy enough and your situation fit for the procedure. But patients should also be aware that they'll likely have to change some of their oral care habits in order to properly care for these implants. For instance:

    Regular dental visits: It's recommended that you visit the dentist at least once every 6 months. That's even more important to adhere to with dental implants.
    Brushing and flossing: You should be brushing twice a day, flossing once a day and also brushing your implants with an interdental brush to properly care for them.
    Stop smoking: Dentists say that smoking is the number one cause of implant-related issues. Therefore, it's strongly recommended that you cease smoking after receiving an implant.

There are also other things to consider before getting an implant. For instance, it's a process that typically takes a few months and multiple dentist visits to complete. Secondly, it's an expensive procedure, especially when compared to other tooth loss remedies. In fact, it's estimated that most insurance plans only minimally cover the procedure. However, it's important to note that the procedure is safe and implants are ideal for best long-term results.

For more information on dental implants and to set up a consultation to see if your particular situation would be suitable for the procedure, contact Dr. Richard Caven's office today.（dental laboratory equipment）