Dentists across the great state of Florida inclusive of Duval Dental are once again preparing for the month-long awareness campaign in February 2020, aimed to work with children and their caregivers on the benefits of good oral health. The American Dental Association sponsors the campaign in partnership with Oral B and Crest utilizing a theme each year to make the event more enticing for the kids.
As adults, many take for granted the advantages of taking optimal care of our teeth, but we must reinforce this with our children regularly. Tooth decay among children is one of the most common chronic diseases affecting them which makes this campaign such a critical one to promote, get involved in, and learn from.
The ultimate way for a child to learn about taking care of their teeth and gums is by example. This is why, as parents, it’s imperative that we practice good dental hygiene at home with brushing and flossing and actively participate in regular visits with a dentist alongside our children.
What to Expect with Your Dental Check-Ups
There is an array of dentists in the Jacksonville area, but for each person, there will be only a small number of those who will meet all of their necessary criteria. After selecting one of the best practices such as Duval Dental or prime selection of Farnham Dentistry in Jacksonville FL, you’ll be ready to set up for regular checkups. These are essential as a means to keep your teeth and gums in good shape. A regular dental visit should take place at least once every six months or as directed by your chosen dentist.
There are typically two parts to the dental visit which include the examination and the cleaning. During the exam, the dentist will assess for cavities for which x-rays may take place as a means to check in between teeth. There is also a determination for plaque and tartar. Plaque is a type of clear, sticky bacteria that can become hard and turn into tartar. Tartar is not something that can be removed via brushing or flossing. These build up and cause oral disease.
The gum assessment is done with a tool that measures the depth of the spaces between the gums and the teeth which should be shallow if the gums are healthy. With gum disease, the spaces become deeper.
A thorough dental visit will be inclusive of a careful examination of the head, face, neck, throat, and tongue to check for any indications of trouble such as redness, swelling, or any potential sign of cancer.
Teeth cleaning will take place during the visit. Normal brushing and flossing won’t take the tartar off, but during the cleaning, the dentist can use special tools that will remove it in a process known as scaling. After this has been taken care of, the teeth are polished with a gritty paste. This helps to take away any type of surface staining. After that, comes the floss to make sure the in-between areas are nice and clean. For a complete review of the cleaning process read here.
Taking Care Of Teeth At Home
When you take care of your teeth at home, you are a role model for your kids. They see how you perform your dental hygiene and will mimic your behavior. Be sure that you take care of your teeth and gums regularly in between dental checkups. Plaque is always building, but it is manageable through brushing and flossing. Good oral care at home will consist of:
- Brushing with a good toothpaste that offers fluoride at least two times each day.
- Floss with each brushing.
- Using mouthwash will aid in keeping control of the plaque bacteria plus allow for fresh breath.
Ensuring Effective Dental Hygiene
Even if you are applying all of the importance of dental hygiene that it warrants, it’s also important to follow appropriate procedures to avoid any further oral health issues. An example would be using a gentle or soft toothbrush as opposed to one that offers hard bristles. The latter can inflict damage to the gums. The gums can begin to recede after being brushed excessively with a hard brush. This can cause temporary problems within the gums such as bleeding, swelling, and reddening.
With the recession of the gums, there is also the potential for tooth loss. Bad brushing habits aren’t the only thing that can bring about this issue. Some people tend to grind their teeth while sleeping which bring numerous dental problems as well as gum recession. In these instances, a dentist will need to intervene to issue a night guard for prevention.
Diet and Our Teeth
We don’t think about our diet generally when we consider oral hygiene. But by drinking soda and indulging in sugary foods, we are risking the potential of causing the protective enamel that covers our teeth to erode. This is also true with the consumption of starchy foods such as chips and other snack-type foods not to mention the acidic coffee that we tend to drink mercilessly every morning. It’s bad enough that coffee damages the enamel but it also stains the teeth terribly.
In some instances, there may need to be changes made to your dietary habits in exchange for oral health. There are cases where it may require that you simply brush and floss immediately after indulging. But this is why you have regular visits with a dentist who will advise you what can stay and what needs to go in the way of diet. Go to https://www.everydayhealth.com/hs/healthy-teeth-guide/diet-for-teeth for an informative guide on foods that are good for your teeth and gums.
Summary
Overall, proper use of effective dental hygiene products is essential, especially at a young age. Children should be taught the importance of regularly brushing and flossing as well as the need to go to the dentist regularly for checkups to maintain optimal health of teeth and gums. There are many resources that aid in teaching the benefits of maintaining this health which can help in avoiding the common dental problems that people typically face when uneducated. Take the time to do your homework so you can be the role model your child needs in 2020 and every day.
