Get a Dental Cleaning During National Dental Hygiene Month

It’s easy to take our teeth for granted. That can sometimes lead to neglect, which results in oral health problems. Then your tooth issues become impossible to ignore. The month of October is National Dental Health Month in the USA. That makes this the ideal time to give attention to dental health care. Here are seven reasons you should consider getting a dental clean during National Dental Hygiene Month.

• Helps Prevent Heart Disease & Diabetes
• Cavity Prevention
• Improves Bad Breath
• Prevents Tooth Loss
• Improves Your Smile
• Can Save Money
• Gum Disease Prevention
• Teeth Cleaning
• Summary

Helps Prevent Heart Disease & Diabetes

We all know that proper dental care is good for our oral hygiene. However, research has revealed that brushing twice daily may also reduce your likelihood of suffering a heart attack. In a 2010 UK study called the Scottish Health Survey, the lifestyle habits of 11,000 people were examined. This included their oral hygiene habits. People were asked how often they brushed their teeth and how often they visited a dentist.

The researchers found that people who brushed their teeth less frequently than daily were 70% more likely to suffer from heart disease. The lead researcher, Richard Watt, DDS, commented, “Our results confirmed and further strengthened the suggested association between oral hygiene and the risk of cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, inflammatory markers were significantly associated with a very simple measure of poor oral health behavior.”

Frequent visits to the dentist can also help to prevent diabetes. Tiny bacteria living in the mouth can give rise to periodontal disease, which can eat away at your gums and potentially make your teeth fall out. Periodontal disease is very high among people who suffer from diabetes as a result of their inability to control their blood sugar. When gum disease is treated promptly, blood glucose becomes more controllable. This slows down the progression of diabetes symptoms

Cavity Prevention

Cavities are holes in the teeth. They are caused by a combination of factors, including mouth bacteria, consumption of sugary foods, and not cleaning your teeth regularly. Regular dental check ups are your number one preventative measure against cavities. Your dentist will be able to detect potential cavities early on and treat them with cleanings, sealants, or fluoride treatment.

The benefits of flossing and brushing daily for the prevention of cavities cannot be overstated. This will remove food and debris that could eat away at your teeth. Cutting back on your consumption of sugary foods will also help keep cavities away.

Improves Bad Breath

Your dentist can help you deal with bad breath. There are a number of hygiene-related causes of bad breath that they can check for and either rule out or treat. These include bacteria build up, gum disease (gingivitis), and gastroesophageal reflux disease. A professional tooth cleaning will remove any residual food particles that remain in the teeth. It will also get rid of built up plaque which may contribute to bad breath.

If you have a dental crown, trapped food particles in the crown may also contribute to bad breath. A professional clean will remove these food particles.

You can treat your bad breath at home with good oral care habits, including regular use of a tongue scraper as well as daily use of a mouth freshener. Sucking on mints and sugar free gum will also improve your breath.

Prevents Tooth Loss

None of us want to lose our teeth. As adults, doing so will either leave a gap in our mouth or our wallet. Regular dentist visits will detect any health problems with your teeth that could result in a tooth falling out. When the bones that support your teeth begin to shrink, your teeth may become loose and, if not treated, fall out. Your dentist is able to perform a bone graft to strengthen the bone and keep the tooth firmly in place. There are a number of bone grafts available, and your dentist will advise which is best suited to your situation.

Improves Your Smile

Getting into the habit of visiting your dentist every six months will do wonders for the aesthetics of your teeth. They will be much whiter and much brighter. This can provide a massive confidence boost which makes you want to smile—and that will improve your life more than you can imagine!

Can Save Money

You’re probably familiar with the saying that “prevention is better than cure.” That is certainly the case when it comes to oral hygiene. Problems that could have been treated early on are often left undetected because people only go to the dentist when problems become painful. By then, the costs to fix the problem are a lot more than they would have been if the issue was caught early on and its root cause treated. So, consider your six-month dental check ups to be your oral hygiene insurance.

Gum Disease Prevention

In its early stages, gum disease is difficult to detect. As an untrained person, you will probably not spot the signs yourself. Your dentist, however, knows precisely what to look for. They will check for receding gums, gum swelling, and gum pockets. If any problems are identified, they will treat the underlying cause of the issue. They will then provide you with guidance on how to prevent the problem from recurring.

Teeth Cleaning

Brushing and flossing your teeth every day is a basic oral health requirement that can be likened to keeping your car topped up with oil and gas. A dental tooth clean is like getting a six-month check up on your vehicle. It will ensure that your teeth and gums are healthy while also keeping them looking great. The dentist will be able to remove stains from your teeth while also checking for broken fillings and fractures.

Summary

If you’re one of those people who only ever makes an appointment to see a dentist when you have pain in your mouth, why not make the resolve to change? Use National Dental Hygiene month this October to spur you to schedule six-month appointments for a dental health check. After all, it’s the smart thing to do to keep your teeth sparkling, healthy, and strong.