Your oral health is imperative to maintain, and though you may believe skipping a dentist visit or two might not cause too much harm, you’d be surprised. What’s more? Having a tooth extracted due to no intervention means more than just a gap in your smile. While losing a tooth is certainly the last thing a person wants to experience, sometimes it may be necessary to stave off an aggressive infection. Fortunately, early dental prevention can help minimize the chances of having to have a tooth extracted. In today’s blog, your Shrewsbury, MA dentist explains the necessary role of preventive dentistry and discusses the steps you can take to ensure a strong, healthy smile.
What is Preventative Treatment?
Whether you are aware of it or not, your smile is constantly attacked by various bacteria. While it is impossible to rid the mouth of all bacteria, minimizing their impact on oral health is still necessary. You see, these microorganisms like to lurk in the hard-to-reach areas of the mouth and feed off of the sugars from foods in your diet. When this happens, they begin to produce a destructive acid that eats away at your tooth’s natural structure, and a small hole known as a cavity forms.
Taking care of your oral health often involves taking steps to protect your smile from bacteria and other concerns. Preventative care encompasses these steps, and is intended to reduce the impact bacteria and other concerns have on your grin. It also is comprised of a combination of at-home and in-office care. For more information or to schedule your next appointment with our team, give our office a call.
Steps to Take at Home
To properly care for your smile, we recommend brushing your teeth at least twice daily. When you brush, you should be making small circles on and around the teeth, not brushing up and down. This helps the bristles really get into the difficult-to-clean areas.
You should also take care to floss regularly after meals or at least once daily. Food particles that become stuck between teeth and are not removed or dislodged will only feed the already present bacteria.
Attending Routine Checkups
In addition to at-home steps, you should attend dental exams and cleanings at least once every six months, or twice a year. During this visit, our team will gently but thoroughly clean your structures and tissues of any plaque buildup that could not be dislodged with brushing and flossing alone. We will also provide a detailed examination of your smile and take x-rays to monitor your oral health.
Learn More Today
A complete preventative routine includes both in-office and at-home care, and our team is ready to help you prioritize your smile’s health. To schedule your next checkup and cleaning, call Modern Dentistry of Shrewsbury in Shrewsbury, MA at (508) 842-8838 today.
