Whether you’re a child, a teen, or an adult, oral hygiene is of primary importance. It is essential that every one of us have a high level of oral health. As an adult, oral hygiene is important if we want to look and feel our best. Feeling good about our oral hygiene, and having a healthy smile, gives us confidence like nothing else can. Feeling and looking at our best is so important, yet it doesn’t come without a price, and when talking about oral health or oral hygiene the price is effort, understanding, and responsibility.
If we want the benefits of good oral health, we have to be willing to practice and maintain healthy oral hygiene. This means brushing, flossing, and maintaining a good relationship with our dentist. That’s right, in the world of good oral health and hygiene, there are two players, you and your dentist (if you do not have a designated dentist yet, you can visit Bloomfield Dental Designs — they can offer the services of a sedation dentist bloomfield nj).
Your dentist is the oral health professional responsible for examining, repairing, and maintaining your mouth, teeth, and gums. Your dentist is also your oral hygiene expert that is responsible for guiding you in your daily oral hygiene efforts so as to ensure you maintain good oral health now and for the rest of your life. Besides your dentist, you can get help from other resources such as bensalembucksdental.com as well.
Your dentist is there to help in every way he/she can in maintaining good oral health and oral hygiene practice, but you must understand that you too play an equally, if not more, active roll. It is up to you to take responsibility for your oral health through the daily practice of healthy oral hygiene and it’s up to you to visit your dentist on a regular basis. If you do not do this, then you could find yourself having to rush to either an emergency dentist clearwater florida or even in extreme cases medical attention due to infection if it has become serious. For these reasons, it is necessary to maintain a regular routine of visiting your dentist.
What your oral health profession (dentist) will do for you
Understand that your dentist is your oral health professional, and as such, it is his/her job to recognize oral health and oral hygiene issues and things that you cannot. Your dentist will look for gum disease, cavities, evidence of tooth decay around old fillings or veneers, root decay or decay under the gum line, mouth infections, periodontal pockets caused by gum disease, and a host of other oral health problems.
Your oral health professional is also trained to recognize signs of poor general health as reflected by your oral health and oral hygiene. He or she is trained to identify the oral manifestations of such conditions and can refer you to other health professionals for treatment. Many serious conditions have been identified first by an oral health care professional thus allowing for early intervention and preventing a worsening of the state of the patient involved. There are several dental services that provide oral care for the whole family, so that your kids don’t feel intimidated when going on a visit to the dentist.
Ultimately your Oral Health is Your Responsibility
Neglect is the keyword for poor oral health and oral hygiene. Neglecting daily oral hygiene is what leads to poor oral health and can even lead to a host of other problems. In fact, neglect is the only thing really that can lead to poor oral health. This is solely your responsibility and is the part you play in maintaining the practice of healthy oral hygiene and good oral health.
That said, good oral health can be achieved by opting for regular checkups. Everybody needs these irrespective of their age. Truth be told, it doesn’t matter how good your oral hygiene is on a daily basis (meaning how well you brush and floss your teeth ), you still need to see an oral health professional who has gathered enough experience in a local family dental practice in order to prevent mouth-related diseases.
It’s during these regular oral health checkups that your dentist has the opportunity to view the results of your daily oral hygiene (your oral health), and then guide you more efficiently on how to improve it. These oral health checkups also provide your oral health professional the opportunity to clean your teeth professionally, which is an important part of any good oral hygiene strategy. Professional teeth cleaning allows the dentist to remove the built-up tartar from the surface of your teeth, thus preventing gum disease, removing stains, and simply making your teeth whiter and your smile wider!
It is also essential that, during these regular visits, you talk to your dentist or oral hygiene professional. Include in this conversation even any problems or issues that in your mind probably have nothing to do with your oral health or oral hygiene. The fact is, there might be a connection as impossible as it may seem. Information about the medication you may be taking or about your health, in general, may seem insignificant, but they are not. Talk to your dentist about anything that concerns you, it helps build and maintain a good working dentist-patient relationship, it makes your oral health checkup more pleasant, and it may result in the discovery of an underlying oral health problem or issue you were unaware.
Nutrition is another, often overlooked area that can have an important impact on your oral health. It is important at any age to keep a balanced diet if you want to reap the rewards of good oral health. No food is harmful in itself if a good balance is maintained.
Lean meat, fish, poultry, and beans provide iron and protein for overall good oral health and magnesium and zinc for strong teeth and bones. Dairy products provide calcium and vitamin D for your teeth and bones. Bread and cereal supply vitamin B for growth and iron for healthy blood, which in turn contributes to the healthy gum tissue and overall good oral health. Fruits and vegetables contain a lot of vitamins, such as vitamin C, which is essential for good gum and oral health.