Prevention is better than cure

As the saying goes “prevention is better than cure”, this can relate to many things, including your dental hygiene. Most dentist suggest 6 monthly check ups, flossing daily and brushing at least twice a day.

Here are some things to consider before putting off your next dental check up & clean:

*Prevention of gum disease – Gingivitis is early gum disease and occurs when plaque builds up on teeth. Signs of gingivitis are bleeding gums, redness and swelling. If its not treated it advances into periodontal disease. The margin of the tooth is weakened and spaces form between the tooth and gum, these spaces are called pockets. Bacteria becomes trapped in these pockets causing more inflammation. As the disease progresses the bone around the tooth is lost and the tooth becomes loose.

*Tartar build up – If plaque isn’t regular cleaned off teeth it turns into tartar which is pretty much impossible to clean off with just a toothbrush and floss.

*Bad breath – Bad breath can be caused by gum disease, food that gets caught in hard to reach places and poor oral hygiene. Having regular cleans can prevent this from happening.

*Stains – Having your teeth cleaned helps remove stains caused by coffee, tea, wine and other products leaving you with a brighter, whiter smile.

*Keeping your teeth! – No one wants to lose their teeth, but poor oral hygiene can result in advanced gum disease, which means the loss of bone around the teeth which then results in the loss of teeth. 

*Preventing cavities or them getting bigger – Unless you have pain or an obvious cavity, you may have an issue you don’t even know about. During your check up your dentist will check this by having a look around and taking x-rays.

So, now you understand the importance of dental hygiene. Look after your teeth, or just the ones you want to keep!!

Ian, the Mosman dentist. Dentist Mosman.

Image: pixabay