Your Dental Care Guide

How often do you pay your dentist a visit? Seldom, I presume.

Like with your doctor, it is at least not as frequent as your trips to the spa. For sure though, some people do so at an interval of every one, three, or six months for a checkup, more than ever if they have braces or retainers. Some, however, and worse, if I may add, only make an appointment when there is already a sort of damage in need of a repair.

It will not hurt to see your dentist every once in a while. Or else, it just might.

Oral health is very important like the non-oral health. Thousands of dentists provide free care to hundreds of thousands disadvantaged children each year. A countless individual dentists routinely provide free or even discounted care to it people who couldn’t afford it, care that, according to a survey. The key to it is prevention. Dental disease is nearly preventable. Being empowered about the health is what the people need, its simple measures like brushing and flossing their teeth and eating a balanced meal can protect against tooth decay, and understanding the importance of drinking fluoride water.

Dental health is a multi-faceted concern. Because of this, it is simply not enough to proclaim that people need to inform themselves of the nearest dentist or subsequently, that dentists need to make themselves more accessible or available. In particular, the public should be informed of how they can make certain that the dentists in their area have completed all the requirements necessary which would license them as official practitioners of dentistry. Furthermore, it would be helpful if an active institution, to which the public can run should they felt that something awry has occurred in relation to the actions performed by a particular dentist, can be established by the government as well. Indeed, such actions are necessary in order to help people see that oral health matters are a serious issue which the society needs to cater to.

Picture from
North Georgia Dental Society. 5 May 2008 http://www.nogadental.org/

As with many other programs, those that have to do with dental health will prove useless if those involved with implementing these programs make no effort to disseminate information properly. For example, dentists may choose to uphold a program that caters to the needs of the less fortunate. Nonetheless, the efficiency of such a program will prove to have a life span that rivals the attention span of a fruit fly if certain measures are not taken. To further elaborate, these programs should make sure that they will take the necessary steps in explaining the dental problems they encounter to those who face these problems themselves. This would probably entail that the dentists simplify specific concepts by breaking down scientific terms and such in order to inform the public of certain dental health threats; however, it must be realized that this will prove significant in the long. As always, curing something is not more preferable than empowering oneself—or someone else—to prevent any health hazards from occurring. In this way, dental missions will not only be battling against present dental problems, they will also be helping people to impede future dental problems before they can lay their troublesome fangs on the people’s oral health.

Picture from Belfast Dentists. 5 May 2008 http://www.belfastdentists.co.uk/

Along the years, The American Dental Association has been striving to raise their awareness and advance solutions when it comes to improving all the access to dental care. Dentists are the leading advocates for improving the access to dental care. They are willing to take the entire lead, but can’t fix this mess all alone. The federal, local and state governments and society at large must stop all the shortchanging oral health and find the political will to get a better dental care to the millions of Americans who don’t receive it. Only the oral health care needs to be a priority

The dental components in Medicaid and SCHIP, which are supposed to provide health care to disadvantaged Americans, are chronically underfunded. Federal law mandates that Medicaid cover basic preventive and restorative services. But many state programs fail to deliver care to even half of their eligible children. Adult dental coverage through public health programs is even worse; many states simply don’t provide it. Taking care of yourself is a critical component of oral health, and too many Americans lack a basic understanding of preventive oral health, things like brushing, flossing, eating a healthy diet and drinking fluoridated water. About one-third of public water systems are not fluoridated, yet it is the single most effective public health measure to protect against tooth decay.

It would be tempting to think that one can visit a dentist only when one has a toothache and that more importantly, such visits need only concentrate on that one particular toothache. Unfortunately, dental visits should not only be regular, they should also be recognized as opportunities for individuals to learn more about the state of their dental health. To further elaborate, a visit to the dentist need not be a one-way conversation that drones on and on; individuals should be assertive and should ask questions. These questions may take the form of, “Which latest dental innovation would prove helpful to my teeth given my dental history?” or, “What kinds of food or drink should I stay away from to prevent having dental problems?” Only perhaps after making an effort to befriend one’s dentist and to gain a personal understanding of one’s dental conditions can an individual actually look forward to dentist appointments. After all, since not many will admit that they love sitting in a chair while a dentist examines their teeth, then perhaps the best way to turn seemingly boring dentist appointments would be to stop seeing the situation from such a linear perspective.

Picture from
Daily Mail. 5 May 2008 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=512813&in_page_id=1774.

Sometimes our oral health care practices are influenced by the various marketing strategies taken by company’s and often do not really address the actual dental care needs of our children. We must remember that our children need toothbrushes that are small enough to comfortably fit into their mouth and must have soft bristles. Toothpaste amount should also be regulated to only a pea size so that it will not create too much foam to interfere with their brushing.

Stand behind your child to guide them at first. Concentrate the first two minutes on brushing the upper and lower back teeth which are usually the starting point of cavities. Use only short circular strokes taking ample time to clean chewing surfaces. Proper rinsing through allowing water to circle within the mouth and spitting is also very important.

With all the bells and whistles and hundreds of toothbrushes on the market, you’ve got to wonder, which is really the best toothbrush to buy – manual or electric?

If you’re not sure which type of toothbrush you would use the most here are some pros and cons of both. Manual Toothbrush is inexpensive, has easy to grip handles; some with tongue scraper and easy to carry wherever you will go. Only thing is, has no built in timer to tell the user when 2 minutes are up. Electric toothbrush most have ergonomic handles, have built in timers and some even dispense toothpaste, but only problem with this are, they are quite expensive and require batteries to be charged before using.

Dental floss is an ancient invention. Researchers have found dental floss and toothpick grooves in the teeth of prehistoric humans. Levi Spear Parmly (1790-1859), a New Orleans dentist is credited as being the re-inventor of modern dental floss.

In 1882, the Codman and Shurtleft Company of Randolph, Massachusetts started to mass-produce unwaxed silk floss for commercial home use. The Johnson and Johnson Company of New Brunswick, New Jersey were the first to patent dental floss in 1898. Dr. Charles C. Bass developed nylon floss as a replacement for silk floss during WW II. Dr. Bass was also responsible for making teeth flossing an important part of dental hygiene.