Dental care is taken as a given for children under the age of eighteen, but it is less common for adults to undertake regular preventative care for their teeth after they leave their childhood home.
However, poor dental hygiene leaves our mouths vulnerable to a host of problems that are decidedly not for children! Preventative dental care keeps “adult” problems like diabetes and heart disease at bay. Here is why preventative dental health is key to maintaining overall good health.
Dental Health
Obviously, preventative dental care will yield better results for your teeth and gum health in the long term.
“Our dentists focus on proper oral hygiene and we offer quality preventive treatments to help you maintain a strong smile,” says Enamel Dentistry, a dental practice providing preventative dental care Austin TX.
“During routine appointments, we will thoroughly examine your mouth to catch dental health issues before they become more serious problems. Don’t neglect your dental health, come in for preventive care to help maintain your smile!”
Psychological Health
If you have fallen victim to chronic headaches, migraines, poor sleep, generalized insomnia, irritation, jaw aches, etc., you could be grinding your teeth at night.
Many people mistakenly believe that these symptoms are associated with impacted or ingrown wisdom teeth. However, nebulous pain or pain which radiates up the neck and through the ear into the head originates in the jaw. Jaw pain is not usually wisdom teeth pain.
A dentist can examine your teeth’s crown patterns and identify any grinding or bite issues that might be impacting your mental health. Even if you don’t realize it, you could be grinding your teeth to the point where your pain is building up into a larger, less reversible problem over time.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy has long been mythologized as the variable by which all heck breaks loose when it comes to women’s health. Cravings, shoe size, nausea: these things are all fair game for crazy pregnancy hormones to wreak havoc on.
Pregnancy manifests itself differently in different women, of course, but a lot of women might not know to look at their dental health to keep tabs on their pregnancy journey. Whether you are (or aren’t!) trying to get pregnant, changes in your oral health could be indicative of a pregnancy or a change in your pregnancy.
Heart Health
Did you know going to the dentist is a key part of maintaining good heart health? It’s true! If you are already at risk of heart disease or heart complications, you should be flossing regularly.
It should come as no surprise that good heart health and proper dental care are linked. After all, periodontal disease (or gum disease) has been long associated with subpar heart health.
But the latest science suggests that a build up of bacteria and plaque on teeth and gums can increase your odds of microbial infections in your heart valves.
Plus, regular dental care lets your dentist keep tabs on the progression (or regression!) of your dental health. For example, changing or receding gum patterns can be indicative of coronary artery disease. So it’s important that a professional keep tabs of your baseline normal, so to speak.
Diabetes
Rather than leading to diabetes, your mouth is home to a host of potential symptom sites for diabetes to make itself known. It seems as though there are innumerable ways diabetes can manifest itself through changes in the mouth, saliva, or gums.
Trouble tasting food, receding gums, and even gingivitis can be symptomatic of diabetes. Periodontal disease affects more than 20% of people living with diabetes.
Diabetics might also benefit from a test commonly available through dentists. They can run a test which will show the patients’ last three months average blood sugar levels.
At Home Preventative Dental Care
Of course, you should always defer to the expertise of a professional dentist. There are, however, certain tenets of dental care that remain steadfast across the board. Again, you should always check with your dentist before undertaking a new dental regime.
First, a well-rounded diet is crucial to keeping gum and teeth health robust. Dark leafy greens, fruits, and vegetables are obviously better choices than syrupy sweets and processed foods. Starchy vegetables and processed foods have been associated with increased cavity risk.
In addition to brushing twice a day, flossing after each meal is very important. Flossing gets into the nooks and crannies of your teeth that your toothbrush just cannot reach.
Limiting how many times a day you eat can also help improve your oral hygiene. After all, limiting your teeth’s exposure to acidity and other abrasives limits their opportunities to erode your teeth.
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