- Dental Health and Prevention
- Healthy Teeth
Dental Health and Prevention
Dental Health and Prevention
Maintaining good oral health is a key contributor to overall health. Your oral health contributes to your smile, facial appearance, ability to chew and eat food, speak, among other functions. Regular brushing and flossing are key to keeping teeth clean of food debris, and the bacteria that feed on them. Advise we recommend when brushing your teeth is to be thoughtful and thorough; imagine if you were washing your dishes and were absent minded while doing it, you would probably miss areas and the final result would not necessarily be really clean (leaving stuff for the germs that cause cavities to feed on). After a thorough, thoughtful brushing of your teeth, flossing between the teeth will help to remove debris that the tooth brush was not able to access. Be thoughtful with flossing – like brushing – seeking to clean as much of the un-brushed area as possible.
Diet is a very significant contributor to dental conditions, especially caries. Foods high in simple sugars (think sweet and sugary ‘junk’ foods) and sticky foods provide nutrients to germs living in the mouth that themselves eat these food debris, consequently causing dental decay. Avoiding sweets, snacking, sweet drinks – especially pop and energy drinks, along with brushing following meals are some of the best ways to address the problems caused through diet. Abuse of tobacco products can cause a number of dental problems; we advise abstinence or moderation in using tobacco products.
There are a number of dental products that you may find helpful, these range from water picks, mouthwashes, flossing devices, xylitol, etc. We are happy to address your questions with these products. In the clinic we offer sealants and fluoride to facilitate in preventing cavity formation.