When one thinks about proper oral care they often think about the daily brushing and flossing but this is proper oral hygiene. Proper oral care does in fact involve proper oral hygiene but it also requires periodic dentist visits for exams and teeth cleaning. Maintaining proper oral care should not be underestimated as it has many advantages. Even those who practice proper oral hygiene habits can fall prey to adverse dental conditions.
When an individual visits their dental professional, even for teeth cleaning, the dentist or dental hygienist is checking for adverse dental conditions that can affect one’s health. Conditions like tooth decay, gum disease, and even oral cancers. If these conditions are detected in their early stages, they can be treated and even cured but when left untreated they can affect one’s overall health and even cause death.
Tooth decay is often a result of plaque buildup from sugars and foods being left on the teeth and between teeth. Gingivitis develops from the plaque and natural bacteria’s in the mouth. Gingivitis is curable but when left untreated it can lead to an incurable gum disease that can affect one’s overall health.
Oral cancer screenings are performed every time one visits their dentist. And although there have been great strives in cancer treatment, it needs to be detected early in order to treat and cure.
Many adverse dental conditions can be caused by medications, age, certain medical conditions, genetics, as well as, poor oral hygiene habits. And is another reason why it’s so important to see your Austin dentist periodically. The conditions these factors cause are out of one’s control, but the diagnosis of, treatment for, and cures for them are within it.
The great strives in technology and other advancements in dentistry gives dentist better capabilities for detecting these and other adverse dental conditions. Treatments are able to be performed with more precision, in less time, and with less pain for the patient. In additional to the advancements in dentistry, dentists themselves are advancing their general dentistry services to include specialized services in the various other fields of dentistry.
These fields can include sedation dentistry, pediatric dentistry, laser dentistry, and cosmetic dentistry, in addition to, their general dentistry services. This means that you can get additional services that can improve your smile like teeth whitening or dental implants when you choose a dentist that also practices cosmetic dentistry. Finding the right dentist in Austin can make all the difference.
So as you can see, you may practice good oral hygiene habits by brushing and flossing daily that you’re safe from any adverse dental conditions. But this isn’t true, there are many factors that can affect your teeth, mouth, gums and tongue that are out of your control. And the only way to ensure you and your mouth remain healthy, is proper oral care, add regular visits to your Austin dentist and continue practicing proper oral hygiene habits.