When it comes to your teeth, it’s highly important – crucial even – that you take good care of them. After all, once all of your permanent teeth come in, that’s it, you don’t get anymore. Unfortunately many of us neglect to care for our teeth in the way that we should. In fact, the majority of adults don’t see a dentist more than once every three years, when it’s recommended to see a dentist and have a dental visit as many times as twice a year, simply for regular cleaning and a check up. It’s also true that our personal dental hygiene is not always what it should be. Though most people are good at brushing their teeth the recommended two times a day, seventy five percent of adults in the United States alone don’t replace their toothbrush as frequently as they should (which is around every thing months or every time after you’ve been sick). Every single year, there are as many as one hundred million people in the United States alone that don’t go in to see a dentist and, unfortunately, some of these people are children.
It is highly important to take you child for regular dental visits. As is, many children do not know proper oral hygiene and need to be helped to properly brush and care for their teeth until they around ten years of age. It is important for a dentist to tell them the ins and outs of oral hygiene, as well as keep an eye out for any cavities. Many children go through life with undiagnosed cavities, and twenty percent of all children have had at least one cavity before they reach the age of six. Unfortunately, too many adults have untreated cavities as well, as many as one in five (around twenty percent of all adults in the United States). Nearly half of all adults who are over the age of thirty are suffering from periodontal disease as well.
Though the progression of any gum or tooth decay can be stopped with the implementation of proper oral hygiene and regular dental visits, it is likely that your dentist will have to do some damage control first. Dental crowns are commonly placed over teeth once a cavity has been removed, and is a very common dental procedure, so common that there are more people have dental crowns in the United States than people that do not. But sometimes a dental crown isn’t enough and dental implants become necessary in the case of a missing or a hugely damaged tooth. Fortunately, dental implants tend to have a success rate of more than ninety five percent and when done well, look as natural as real teeth. In 2006 alone there were millions of dental implants placed all around the United States and there are at least five hundred thousand dental implants installed with each passing year. But for those who are looking for a less drastic change to their smile, a teeth whitening procedure is often an option, and a common one at that. Teeth whitening procedures can be done under dental supervision and tend to have majorly positive outcomes. In fact, more than eighty percent of patients who had their teeth professionally whitened by a dental professional said that they noticed a considerable difference in the color and overall tone of their teeth.
Taking care of your teeth is hugely important. After all, once your teeth are gone there’s really nothing you can do to get them back. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to keep your mouth as a whole a healthy place to be. For one, regular dental visits are key in order to clean and repair any existing damage before it can progress and become a bigger problem. Having good oral hygiene on a regular day to day basis is hugely important too, such as flossing and brushing your teeth twice a day, as well as replacing your toothbrush regularly.