How do you define good oral health? What steps do you take in order to maintain good oral health? Healthy teeth and gums mean more than just having a beautiful smile, it also means that you do not have any oral health problems and diseases. In order to help you achieve this, preventive dental services are available so that you can keep your oral health protected from decay, cavities and gum and periodontal diseases.
Preventive dentistry is focused on providing care and protection for your mouth and keeping it healthy so as to reduce your risk of oral health conditions and diseases. If you provide proper care for your teeth, you will be able to prevent early tooth loss and will be able to preserve them for a lifetime.
Some of the diseases that you can avoid through preventive dentistry are the following:
- Cavities are a result of the buildup of plaque on your teeth. Bacteria lives on these plaque and when the plaque are not removed, bacteria will continue to spread and will increase the acid production in your mouth. Acid can be harmful for your teeth because it eats away your tooth enamel which makes it weak and susceptible to decay and cavities.
- Gum diseases – Gum diseases are the infection of the gums and the surrounding tissues, and these are also a result of the spread of the bacteria in your mouth. Gum diseases begin from bleeding gums and can result in tooth loss when it gets worse.
- Infectious diseases – Infectious diseases like oral herpes are one of the most common oral health conditions. This is common among people who had an exposure to a virus called herpes simplex virus. Fungal and viral infections are normally observed with the patients who are positive with HIV.
- Oral cancers – Oral cancer is not very easy to detect unless you have an oral cancer screening performed for you by your dentist. One of the common indications is a sore in the mouth that does not seem to heal. If left untreated, this type of cancer will gradually damage the cells in your mouth and the surrounding tissues.
- Gingivitis is an early stage of a gum disease and is caused by the buildup of bacteria along the gum line. The bacteria causes infections and make your gums swell and bleed.
- Hand, foot and mouth diseases – This disease is common among toddlers and children who start going to school. There is a certain virus called Coxsackie A16 that causes this condition.
- Herpangina is common among children between the ages 3 and 10 and it normally occurs during summer and fall. This disease is also linked to hand, foot and mouth disease. It is also characterized by sore throat and difficulty in swallowing.
- Canker sores – canker sores are commonly observed among children and adolescents. These are also referred to as apthuous ulcers. These are normally found and in the other soft tissues in your mouth.
What is involved in preventive dental care or preventive dentistry?
Your dentist plays an important role when it comes to helping you get the protection that your oral health needs. He can perform a comprehensive checkup for you so as to determine whether there is anything that needs treatment. Some of the steps that are involved in preventive care are the following:
- Your dentist will be performing a deep dental cleaning to remove the plaque from the surfaces of your teeth. The dental cleaning will involve the process called scaling and root planing. This will also not help you get rid of plaque, this will also remove the rough surfaces of your teeth where bacteria can live and grow.
- Your dentist will be providing you education on the proper oral home care that includes proper brushing and flossing so as to ensure thorough cleaning
- The best products that will be helpful for your oral health will be recommended by your dentist
- You will also have a discussion about your lifestyle habits in order to get advice on the things that you need to do and the things that will cause potential harm to you.
- Your dentist will be checking the conditions of your restorations just like the fillings if there are any.
For more information on preventive dental care, you can call Sunny Isles Dental at (305) 330-6609, or visit us at 17100 Collins Ave., Ste. 213 Sunny Isles Beach, FL 33160.
