Prevention is always better than cure and that’s very, very true of caring for your teeth. It takes far less time and far less money to actually care for your teeth properly in the first place than to try and repair or replace them later on when your dental situation has gotten out of control. Even if you do have comprehensive dental cover it still makes more sense to never have to use it for getting intensive dental surgery done – it’s the equivalent of taking out car insurance when you have every intention of running your car into the first wall you can find.
Arlington General Dentist
You were taught as a child to brush your teeth every morning and last thing at night to keep your teeth as clean as possible. This is despite the fact that you were going to lose your baby teeth anyway and have them replaced by your adult teeth. But what your parents were trying to create is the habit of good dental hygiene that would follow you on into your adult life and you could then pass these same good habits onto your own children.
But practicing actual preventive tooth care is about more than just brushing your teeth each day. You also need to practice regular flossing to remove particles of food and plaque from between your teeth because you can have the pearliest white teeth facing people while you have a sea of decay between your teeth. And it’s also important to use mouthwash at least once per day to wash away the bacteria that your brushing and flossing can’t take care of. If you want to work a little harder at your dental hygiene then you could also consider using interdental brushes which you can buy at your local drug store. These literally allow you to brush between the gaps in your teeth – where you normally floss.
Just following a simple routine of brushing, flossing and rinsing with mouthwash every single day is enough to prevent the spread or even the appearance of problems like gum disease, bad breath (halitosis) and of course tooth decay too. And because you’re actively working to prevent these problems you’ll be able to enjoy having a full set of teeth far longer than the average Joe on the street.
Proper preventive dental hygiene will also include a trip to your dentist at least once per year to have your teeth professionally cleaned and to check for any dental problems that might still be in the early stages and quite easily treatable. It’s only when you have your teeth professionally cleaned that you realize just how much gunk had built up in there and now clean and fresh your breath is afterwards.
