Holiday Edition - Dental Hygiene and Preventative Dental Care

Dental Hygiene and Preventative Care

It is holiday time, the time of year when we are all enjoying the abundant and bountiful treats that this time of year brings.  With all of those tasty treats comes loads of sugar, simple carbohydrates and alcoholic beverages, all of which can wreak havoc on our oral health and teeth.  However, there are some simple things that you can do to avoid the pitfalls that can come with this time of year.

·        Enjoy the treats, but pay extra attention to your at-home-hygiene routine, because….

Small Cavities

Dental cavities, or caries, are areas of decay on your teeth.  Decay is caused when sugars come in contact with the bacteria in our mouths.  These sugars and bacteria create plaque.  Plaque sticks to teeth and the bacteria in plaque converts sugar into acid, which dissolves tooth structure and causes holes in the teeth or decay.  If plaque is left on the tooth for a couple of days it begins to harden into tarter or calculus.  Once plaque hardens  to a certain point the only way to remove the tartar or calculus is to visit your dentist.  Brushing and flossing alone cannot remove this. 

If you can’t brush or floss soon after eating sweet or acidic foods, make sure to rinse well with water.  This is not the perfect solution, but it is better than doing nothing.

·        Make sure you visit your dentist, because…

Not only is this a good time to make sure all of the tasty treats you’ve been eating since Halloween haven’t caused any problems, it is also good to maximize your insurance benefits or flex-spending account.  Dental insurance plans have an annual maximum.  For instance, many have a $1000/year maximum that they will pay out (this amount varies with each plan).  If those benefits are not used they do not roll over to the next year, they are just lost for good. If you have a flex-spending account often times the same is true.  If those benefits aren’t used by the end of the year those benefits are lost as well.

Also, if you do have some residual plaque, tartar or calculus from eating all those tasty treats, a visit to your dental office can help remove that before it causes problems.

Furthermore, everyone should have an oral cancer screening once a year.  Approximately, 50,000 Americans are diagnosed with oral cancer each year.  If this cancer is detected early it is very curable. 

Additionally, a screening for gum disease should be done at each appointment.  More than 75% of Americans suffer from some form of gum disease.  If left undiagnosed and untreated gum disease can be fatal and can cause premature tooth loss. 

Most importantly – If your dental office is anything like ours…Many of our patients are like family and we want to see them during the holidays!

So, while you are celebrating this holiday season, make sure to brush more, floss more and schedule an appointment to see your local dentist.  Happy Holidays!!!