Good oral health is essential for a healthy smile. The mouth is home to colonies of microorganisms, like bacteria and viruses. When people brush and floss daily to keep these microorganisms under control, their oral health can thrive. People should also go to a trusted office for procedures in family dentistry in Pearl, MS, to maintain their oral health.
Continue reading to learn more about how daily oral hygiene routines and regular family dentistry procedures can keep people in great oral health. When people have great oral health, it can improve their overall quality of life.
What Happens If I Don’t Take Care Of My Oral Health With Oral Hygiene Routines And Procedures In Family Dentistry In Pearl, MS?
When people don’t take care of their oral health with daily at-home oral hygiene routines and regular family dentistry procedures, then they may experience adverse oral health consequences.
Getting six-month family dentistry dental checkups and cleanings are vital in order to catch dental and oral diseases early on before they turn into bigger problems. The family dentistry office can examine the patient’s mouth, teeth, gum pockets, tongue, cheeks, throat, jaw, and neck, with the help of X-rays, so problems can be addressed quickly and efficiently.
Adverse oral health consequences that can occur from people not taking proper care of their teeth and oral structures include the following:
Gum Disease
Gum disease occurs when sticky, bacterial film (plaque) congregates around the patients gum line. If plaque is not removed daily with proper brushing and flossing, it hardens into tartar, irritating gum tissue, and leaving the patient with gingivitis (the early stage of gum disease).
If tartar isn’t removed by a professional family dentistry dental cleaning using special tools, then the patient’s gums can recede or pull away from their teeth. When people’s gums pull away from their teeth, it can cause gum pockets (periodontitis) that allow their teeth to loosen and possibly fall out.
Other factors that leave people more susceptible to gum disease include medical conditions like diabetes, using medications that leave people with a chronic dry mouth, or having a family history of gum disease.
Cavities:
A cavity is damage to a tooth, caused from plaque and tartar buildup, that can develop into tiny holes if it is not properly treated. Plaque and tartar buildup can be prevented with oral hygiene routines and family dentistry procedures.
Tooth Sensitivity:
When people have worn tooth enamel, exposed tooth roots, cavities, and cracked teeth, then they can experience tooth sensitivity. A knowledgeable family dentist will recommend patients using desensitizing toothpastes and better oral hygiene practices all together in order to treat their tooth sensitivity.
Oral Cancer:
Chronic tobacco use, excessive alcohol consumption, or both places people at a higher risk of developing oral cancer.
Poor oral health is also connected to health problems in the body, like heart disease, strokes, and premature birth. Family dentistry procedures like tooth fillings, crowns, and dental sealants are effective methods for treating dental problems.
Can Dental And Oral Health Problems Be Avoided With A Proper Diet?
People can avoid having dental and oral health problems when they maintain a healthy and balanced diet. A balanced diet gives people’s bodies the disease-fighting tools it needs to keep the oral structures healthy.
Fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, leafy greens, lean proteins, and dairies (like cheese, milk and plain yogurt) provide essential vitamins and minerals to keep peoples bodies and mouths healthy. People should also drink plenty of water during the day and add green or black teas rich in polyphenols in order to help get rid of bad bacteria in the mouth.
People can even increase the levels of healthy saliva they produce by limiting the number of caffeinated drinks and alcohol they consume and staying hydrated throughout the day. Saliva washes away harmful bacteria. With the saliva’s traces of calcium and phosphate, it replenishes minerals to parts of people’s teeth that have lost them from plaque. Chewing sugarless gum can also ramp up healthy saliva flow.
How Dental And Oral Health Problems Can Be Avoided With Daily At-Home Oral Hygiene Routines
Just as people need to eat right and exercise often in order to take care of their body as a whole, they will also want to brush and floss daily in order to take proper care of their mouth. Brushing at least twice a day, and flossing, removes harmful bacterial plaque and helps to preserve people’s teeth and gums.
People can even boost the quality of their daily oral hygiene routine with an antibacterial mouthwash, upgrade to an electric or battery-powered toothbrush, or use a water flosser in order to get rid of trapped food particles. When people follow up daily oral hygiene routines with biannual family dentistry dental cleanings, they not only keep their teeth clean, they are also able to detect any dental problems early on.
How Family Dentistry In Pearl, MS Helps Me Maintain Good Oral Health
When it comes to people maintaining good oral health, they will need to regularly go to a family dentistry office. It is very important for people to take care of their teeth and gums at home. However, a skilled family dentist has the experience and equipment to make sure that the patient’s mouth stays healthy.
For instance, when people go to a family dentistry office for preventative dentistry procedures, the family dentist and other team members will both clean their teeth and examine their mouth. The dental and oral examination will not hurt. It may even include diagnostic measures, like taking digital x-rays.
Many common oral conditions, such as cavities and bone loss, cannot be seen with the naked eye. Diagnostic images show dental problems before they become more serious. When people regularly get treated with family dentistry procedures, it will give them piece of mind. It will also provide people with the opportunity to discuss any oral problems, concerns, or future procedure plans with the experienced family dentist.
Can Young Teeth Get Protected With Pediatric Dentistry At A Family Dentistry Office?
Kids can also get treated with pediatric dentistry procedures at a family dentistry office. Many parents are surprised to learn that baby teeth are very important and require just as much professional attention as permanent adult teeth. Bringing kids in biannually for family dentistry procedures does not just keep their teeth clean, it also prevents them from having oral problems in the future.
Can Cosmetic Dentistry Procedures Help Me Maintain A Great Smile?
Cosmetic dentistry procedures, like tooth crowns and dental bridges, smile makeovers, and porcelain veneers, can help patients maintain healthy and beautiful smiles as well. The following are more detailed explanations of how cosmetic dentistry procedures give patients great smiles at a family dentistry office:
Tooth Crowns:
For unsightly teeth that are still healthy enough to be saved, Tooth crowns can give family dentistry patients a protective dental cap, as well as improved smile aesthetics.
Dental Bridges:
When people have a row of missing teeth, they should consider replacing those teeth with a dental bridge. The dental bridge will keep the family dentistry patients remaining teeth from shifting, and it will complete their smile.
Porcelain Veneers:
Made of thin porcelain shells that are custom crafted to look like the patient’s natural teeth, porcelain veneers are bonded to the front surface of their imperfect looking teeth. When placed at a quality family dentistry office, porcelain veneers can last for about a decade with proper care and maintenance.
Tooth Implants:
In order to permanently replace one or more missing teeth, a family dentist can treat patients with restorative tooth implants. By getting treated with tooth implants, the patient’s jawbone is kept healthy and strong, their biting and chewing capabilities are restored, and they get a beautiful and aesthetically pleasing new smile.
Smile Makeovers:
When people have discolored, cracked, or missing teeth, then they can restore their smile with smile makeover procedures. Smile makeover procedures family dentistry patients can get treated with include, but are not limited to, dental crowns and bridges, dental implants, teeth whitening, and skin rejuvenations.
See Us Now So You Can Restore Your Oral Health With Procedures In Family Dentistry In Pearl, MS
Good oral health depends on doing everything you can do to prevent tooth decay and cavities from taking over your smile. Our family dentist has built a reputation for excellence in all areas of general, cosmetic, and restorative dentistry. From dental implants, to facial rejuvenation, our professional family dentistry office has the experience and knowledge to bring out the best in your oral health and your smile.
Why wait to improve your smile with us? Get in contact with Dr. Joe Collins II, Dr. Joseph Collins III, and our exceptional team at our Key Dental Group office to schedule an appointment today!