By embarking on a dental hygiene program that includes regular brushing and flossing, along with getting your teeth checked and cleaned twice a year by your Edmonton dentist, you will have a better chance of catching and treating dental problems early on. This will help you avoid any negative health impacts and painful costly issues down the road. Prevention is always better than treatment! That is why Sana Dental is dedicated to helping you maintain your teeth, gums, and overall oral health. With regular dental exams and teeth cleaning, Sana Dental can help you attain and maintain optimal oral health.
Your Choice For Teeth Cleanings and Dental Exams Edmonton!
Why is Regular Oral Maintenance Important?
From early childhood, right through to your senior years, it is important to practice good dental hygiene habits. Beyond the obvious reasons for keeping bad breath and tooth staining at bay, a good oral hygiene regime can help protect you against disease and infection. Here are a few common problems poor oral hygiene habits can contribute to:
- Bacteria buildup: Without a good brushing and flossing routine, bacteria build up
- Plaque: Left to build up, bacteria produce a sticky film on your teeth. Eventually, this biofilm hardens into plaque
- Cavities: When bacteria and plaque build up they begin to erode the enamel on your teeth causing holes, or cavities, to form
- Tartar: Tartar is a hardened plaque. It can cause cavities and contribute to gum disease
- Gum disease: Gum disease is inflammation in your gums caused by bacteria, plaque, and tartar. When gum disease sets in, you are susceptible to tooth sensitivity, bad breath, gum recession, tooth shifting, and eventually, tooth loss
- Untreated gum disease: Recent studies suggest that left untreated, gum disease can enter your body causing or contributing to medical health problems
Three Preventative Strategies To Protect Your Oral Health in Edmonton
- Brushing: Regular brushing is the first line of defense against the harmful bacteria that can cause plaque and tartar build-up. A soft toothbrush with well-designed bristles on a small head will help you to get into tight spaces. Brushing gently for three minutes is a good rule of thumb. Be sure to include your tongue, as bacteria likes to hide there as well. Brush twice each day, once in the morning and once before bed.
- Flossing: Flossing is as important as brushing. It helps to remove plaque from the spaces your toothbrush cannot reach. To be the most effective, here is the technique:
- Wash your hands. This is so you do not spread any germs into your mouth
- Do not skimp on the floss. Break off enough floss for several wraps around each index finger
- Zig-zag the floss between your teeth to slide it to the base
- Wrap the floss around the bottom of your tooth in a “c” shape, and then pull it up carefully. Do not forget to tackle both sides of the tooth
- Regular professional cleanings and checkups with your emergency dentist in North Edmonton. Home oral care and maintenance, while important, cannot reach areas of the teeth below the gumline (called root planing).
Why Are Professional Teeth Cleanings Services and Dental Exams Important?
While regular and consistent home maintenance is highly effective for maintaining optimal oral health, it only focuses on areas of the teeth above the gum line. Professional dental cleanings can clean the teeth above the gumline (known as scaling) but also below the gumline as well (known as root planing). It is only through a combination of both scaling and root planing that removes tartar, plaque, and bacteria from hard-to-reach places below the gum line, that teeth and gums can remain healthy from top to bottom! Some little nooks and crannies require professional cleaning tools that only your dentist and hygienist have, as well as techniques he or she is trained to do. Your teeth may also be polished and a fluoride treatment may be applied to protect your teeth from cavities and decay. At your check-up, your Edmonton dentist will perform an examination of your mouth, jaw, teeth, and gums, for confirmation of good overall oral health. They are looking for infection, decay, cracked or broken fillings, and other issues that could cause oral health issues in the future.
