Are you aware you can never underestimate the importance of your oral health? If you don’t realize why your oral health must remain in prime shape, please continue reading to learn how your mouth’s health and that of your teeth and gums can impact your general health.

Your oral health offers clues about your overall health, indicating the problems in your mouth can impact your overall health. However, if you acquire education on the association between your oral health and overall health, you find it easy to protect yourself in case of any eventualities by adopting preventive dentistry practices.

What Does Preventive Dentistry Mean?

Preventive dentistry is the practice of caring for your teeth to maintain them in healthy condition. Preventive dental care enables you to prevent cavities, enamel wear, gum disease, et cetera.

Preventive dentistry exists in different forms, including daily brushing and dental cleanings. The American Dental Association recommends visits to your dentist at regular intervals as determined by them to maintain optimal oral health. The practices are tailored to ensure your teeth are clean, strong, and white. Children must also receive education about proper dental hygiene from an early age.

What Is the Goal of Preventive Dentistry?

Preventive dentistry aims to ensure you don’t become a victim of oral health issues that undoubtedly affect your overall health. Like most other areas of your body, your mouth is home to 700 species of bacteria, mostly harmless. Unfortunately, your mouth is also the access point to your digestive and respiratory tracts, and some of the bacteria can cause disease when they assume harmful proportions.

Generally, your body’s natural defenses coupled with good dental hygiene practices help keep the bacteria under control. However, when you neglect dental hygiene, the bacteria can assume harmful proportions and lead to oral infections like tooth decay and gum disease.

In addition, some medications like antihistamines, painkillers, decongestants, antidepressants, and diuretics can cause xerostomia leaving you with a dry mouth. The condition permits bacteria to multiply in your mouth because of the lack of saliva to wash away the microorganisms.

Studies indicate that oral bacteria and the inflammation associated with periodontitis might play a role in some illnesses. In addition, some conditions like diabetes and HIV AIDS can lower your resistance to infections making health problems severe.

Preventive dental services ensure you don’t become a victim of any conditions that might affect your oral health and, in turn, impact your overall health. The dental services offered by dentists are not fearsome and are covered by dental insurance companies for two visits every year. However, the services enable you to prevent conditions like cardiovascular disease, pneumonia, endocarditis, pregnancy, birth complications, et cetera.

What Does Preventive Dentistry Involve?

The most essential part of preventive dentistry involves brushing your teeth twice a day for two minutes each with fluoride toothpaste besides your tongue and replacing your toothbrush every three months or when the bristles start fraying.

Preventive dentistry in Watsonville, CA, recommend flossing your teeth to clean between the tight spaces at any time of the day before or after eating. You can use floss threaders if you have braces on your teeth to get between the metal brackets.

Dental visits at least once a year are essential to identify problems with your teeth and gums. If you are at high risk of dental issues, you benefit from more frequent visits. Dental cleanings and exams permit dentists to identify problems in your mouth and treat them before they aggravate.

You must also have a balanced diet to protect your teeth, provide the essential nutrients, and limit your sugar intake. You can include simple carbohydrates like bread in your diet and drink plenty of water throughout the day.

Is Preventive Dentistry Beneficial to Everyone?

Everyone, including children, benefits from preventive dentistry. Children benefit the most because it enables their newly emerging teeth to erupt solid and healthy. Dental sealants and topical fluoride treatments help prevent tooth decay in children’s teeth. Aging adults also benefit from preventive dentistry because it allows them to retain their natural teeth. Your oral health is associated with your body because your mouth is home to different kinds of bacteria. When you maintain a clean mouth, your entire overall health benefits because you follow the practices of preventive dentistry diligently as advised by your dentist.

If you still have apprehensions about the importance of good oral health, kindly schedule an appointment with Watsonville Family Dental to understand how good oral health also helps you save money.