Dental care entails caring for your teeth, gums, and other structures in your mouth, including the underlying structures beneath your teeth and gums. It starts with how you care for your teeth and gums, including brushing and flossing daily to remove dirt and stuck food particles. Additionally, you must maintain regular visits with your dentist for preventive and curative purposes.
Dental care is necessary for excellent oral health. Oral health issues are rampant and affect everyone, including children and the elderly. How well you care for your mouth also determines your overall health. Most oral health issues affect your general well-being, making dental care integral to your health. If your teeth or gums are unhealthy, they can affect your physical well-being and self-esteem.
Practicing excellent dental care requires working closely with a skilled dentist. They can examine your teeth and gums regularly to ensure they are in good health, recommend treatment if you have dental issues, and recommend tips to help you avoid common oral problems. We can help you start your dental care journey at Valencia Advanced Dentistry at Copperhill Smiles. Our dentists have excellent training and experience in dental care in Santa Clarita.
What Dental Care Entails
Your mouth is a part of your body, and its health determines your overall well-being. If some parts of your mouth are unhealthy, your overall health is usually at risk. Thus, dental care is critical in maintaining healthy and strong teeth, gums, and bones and enjoying good overall health. It entails various services designed to treat, prevent, and cure all dental and oral-related issues like cavities, gum disease, oral cancer, and halitosis. Your dentist will help you determine areas of your oral health you must pay more attention to, depending on your oral issues and their findings, after thoroughly examining your teeth and gums.
Typically, dental care entails the following:
Preventive Care
All oral and dental problems you experience start slowly and then escalate with time. For example, a cavity begins with a minor buildup on a tooth and becomes a large cavity after some time. A minor crack or chip on the tooth can escalate into significant tooth damage that is expensive to treat. Dentists believe most major oral and dental issues can be prevented if diagnosed and treated at their onset. This requires a dentist to examine your teeth and gums to find signs of an oral or dental problem and then treat it before the issues develop or worsen.
Preventive dental care also entails practicing oral health habits that prevent major issues or reduce your risk of these issues. For example, dentists recommend brushing and flossing daily to remove stuck food particles that could encourage the growth of harmful bacteria in the mouth. This bacteria is responsible for cavities, gum disease, oral cancer, and other severe oral problems.
Preventive dental care is an inexpensive way to enjoy good oral health and excellent well-being. The preventive measures dentists recommend for oral and dental problems are not as expensive as the curative measures. For example, brushing your teeth daily can help you avoid severe dental problems like cavities and gum disease, which, in most cases, result in tooth loss. These issues affect the appearance and strength of your teeth, impacting your smile and ability to speak or enjoy your food.
Restorative Care
Restorative dental care entails repairing damaged teeth and replacing missing ones. The goal of restorative care is usually to save a natural tooth and to restore its look, feel, and functionality. If your dentist cannot save your natural tooth, they will use a replacement that looks, feels, and functions like a natural tooth. Restoration ensures your teeth stay naturally spaced in the mouth for a good bite.
Dental restoration is necessary even for people who practice excellent oral hygiene habits. Sometimes, brushing and flossing daily does not yield the required results. Some hard-to-reach parts of your mouth could become perfect grounds for harmful bacteria. When oral bacteria combine with stuck food particles in such parts of your mouth, they cause an acidic reaction that causes a buildup on your teeth and gums. This buildup eventually causes cavities, gum disease, oral infections, and sometimes oral cancer.
However, regular dentist visits for dental checkups and examinations can reduce the need for restorative dental care. Dentists diagnose severe oral problems at their onset and treat them before they become major concerns. If a cavity is detected early, a dentist can treat it before it affects a significant part of the tooth, necessitating tooth extraction. Dentists also perform professional teeth cleaning to remove any dirt, buildup, and stuck food particles that could encourage the growth of harmful bacteria.
Dental Cosmetic
Even with perfectly healthy and strong teeth and gums, you could require additional treatment to improve your teeth’s appearance and functionality. Dental cosmetics are meant to enhance your smile and boost your oral health. For example, your strong and healthy teeth could be overcrowded, overly spaced, or discolored. In this case, you will need a cosmetic dentist to recommend and perform a procedure that will make them better. Cosmetic dentists also restore missing teeth.
Cosmetic dentistry offers many products and services to improve your smile, confidence, and tooth functionality. Examples include teeth whitening, dental bonding, and veneer installation.
When To See a Dentist for Dental Care
One of the main requirements of dental care is knowing when to see a dentist. Dentists play a vital role in ensuring you enjoy good oral health. They diagnose oral issues, recommend treatment, perform treatment procedures, and teach you how to care for your teeth to maintain their beauty and strength. Seeing a dentist at the right time can prevent common oral issues like cavities and periodontitis. It can also save your natural tooth.
Thus, you must see your dentist immediately after noticing signs of oral health problems. Here are some of the indications that you need to visit your dentist’s office:
Tooth Sensitivity
A healthy tooth is not sensitive to cold or hot foods and beverages. Thus, sensitivity is a sign that something is wrong with your tooth. Tooth sensitivity can happen for many reasons, including deteriorating enamel due to wear and tear. When your tooth develops a cavity, harmful bacteria attack the outer solid part of your tooth (the enamel), penetrating the tooth’s inner part (the dentin). Since the dentin is sensitive, sensitivity is a sign of a severe dental issue. You should seek dental care and treatment immediately after you notice that one or more of your teeth are sensitive.
A Toothache
Your natural teeth are designed to be strong and pain-free. They can chew and bite without causing you any pain. When one or more of your teeth becomes painful, there could be a problem. Toothaches are the leading indication of dental problems. They can happen for various reasons, including a broken or cracked tooth, a tooth infection, or a severe cavity. Your dentist will examine your teeth, gums, and underlying structures to determine the cause of your toothache. They will then recommend the most appropriate treatment to stop the pain and manage the underlying issue.
Bleeding Gums
Bleeding gums are not typical, even when brushing or flossing your teeth. Although brushing aggressively with a hard-bristled toothbrush can hurt your gums, it should not cause them to bleed daily. If your gums are bleeding, it could be an early sign of a severe oral condition like gum disease. Your dentist should be able to examine your gums and other parts of your teeth to determine the cause of your bleeding gums. If you are too aggressive when brushing or flossing, your dentist will teach you safe techniques to stop the bleeding.
Shifting or Loose Teeth
Your natural teeth are designed to serve you throughout your lifetime. However, their strength, appearance, and functionality are affected by several factors during your lifetime. When your teeth’s strength is threatened, you can lose your natural teeth, necessitating you to seek an artificial solution to enjoy your mouth’s full functionality. Before losing your natural teeth, they could shift in position or become loose. This can happen after an accident, a blow to the face, or due to a cavity or gum disease. You must seek a dentist’s help immediately after noticing a problem with your teeth to save them. If your dentist cannot save the shifting or loose teeth, they could recommend an extraction.
Receding Gums
Your gums hold your teeth firmly in position. They must remain intact for your teeth to stay in the proper position. And continue serving their purpose. However, if harmful bacteria attack your gums, they could recede as the bacteria penetrate the gum’s underlying structures. Gum recession is common with gum disease. It starts mildly and worsens with time. You can tell when your gums start receding when more of your teeth are exposed than usual. Once your gums recede, the roots of your teeth and other underlying structures become exposed.
Halitosis, or Bad Breath
A foul odor in the mouth is not typical. It indicates the onset of an oral problem that must be resolved before it worsens. Although some people are bound to have bad breath, for example, smokers and alcoholics, your breath should generally be fresh if you practice good oral hygiene habits daily. If you struggle with bad breath and are sure it is not because of something you consume, it could be time to talk to a dentist. They will examine your teeth and gums to determine the cause of your halitosis and then recommend a proper treatment.
Some common causes of bad breath include gum disease, dry mouth, oral infections, and untreated cavities.
Maintaining Excellent Oral Hygiene
Good oral hygiene is an integral part of your dental care. It goes beyond preventing severe issues like gum disease and cavities and includes habits that leave your teeth looking and feeling beautiful and strong. Oral hygiene includes habits you can practice at home throughout your lifetime for strong, healthy, and functional teeth and gums.
Remember that how well you care for your mouth affects your overall well-being. Thus, dental care should be a part of your general health. Your dentist can guide you on maintaining excellent oral hygiene, including habits you must adopt and what you should avoid.
Brushing Teeth Daily
Brushing teeth is the most common way people care for their teeth. Brushing removes any dirt and stuck foods on your teeth. Typically, you use a soft-bristled brush for the job and a recommended toothpaste for a clean and fresh mouth. Dentists also teach people the proper brushing techniques to ensure you reach all parts of your mouth. The hard-to-reach areas can become good breeding grounds for harmful bacteria.
Brushing should be done at least twice daily or after every meal. This will ensure no food remains in your mouth, as this encourages the growth of harmful bacteria. You must take time to brush every tooth in a circular motion, including the front and back parts. Once you are done brushing, rinse your mouth with fresh water. Ensure you are gentle when brushing to avoid damaging the enamel.
Flossing Daily
When eating, some foods enter the nooks and crevices of your teeth and others in the spaces between your teeth. Brushing removes stuck foods on your teeth' surfaces but cannot reach those between the teeth. Flossing aims to remove the foods between your teeth to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria.
When foods are left to sit between your teeth, they combine with harmful oral bacteria to cause an acidic reaction that builds up on your teeth and gums. The buildup develops into calculus and tartar, which are responsible for cavities and gum disease. Dentists recommend flossing every day to remove all stuck foods between your teeth.
Visiting Your Dentist Regularly
Brushing and flossing your teeth daily is not enough dental care for healthy, strong teeth. You need regular dental examinations and checkups to detect dental and oral issues early for effective treatment. Dentists recommend dental checkups at least twice yearly to ensure your teeth and gums are healthy and strong. During these exams, your dentist will check all your teeth, gums, and other structures in the mouth. They will also take an x-ray examination to determine the condition of your teeth’s underlying structures. If your dentist notices a problem with one or more of your teeth, they will recommend immediate treatment before the situation escalates.
Regular dental checkups are an effective preventive measure to keep you enjoying good oral health for years.
Regular Professional Teeth Cleaning
Brushing and flossing your teeth daily helps remove stuck food particles from your teeth, gums, and tongue. This keeps your breath fresh and your mouth clean from harmful bacteria. However, regular brushing and flossing do not reach all areas in your mouth. Some hard-to-reach areas can encourage the growth of harmful bacteria, resulting in cavities, gum disease, and oral infection. Regular professional teeth cleaning is encouraged to ensure that all areas in your mouth are clean.
Typically, dentists conduct professional teeth cleaning during regular dental hiccups and examinations. They recommend twice yearly cleaning to remove debris and stuck foods in difficult-to-reach areas and any buildup that could have formed on teeth and gums. This, too, is a preventive measure for healthy and strong teeth and gums.
Reducing Your Intake of Sugary and Starchy Foods
Oral bacteria thrive best in an environment of sugars and starch. Sadly, these are most people’s favorite foods. People who consume more sugary and starchy foods are at a higher risk of dental and oral problems than those who enjoy healthy foods like fruits and vegetables.
If you consume more sugary and starchy foods, harmful bacteria will likely attack your teeth and gums more. This puts you at risk of cavities and gum disease. In addition to avoiding candies and other sweet treats, you should also avoid processed foods, as they have added sugars.
Dental care involves avoiding anything that could harm your teeth and gums, including sugary and starchy foods. Consider increasing your intake of fruits, vegetables, and foods rich in minerals like calcium, fluoride, and potassium.
Consider Adding a Mouthwash To Your Routine
A mouthwash is an excellent addition to dental care. Although dentists insist more on brushing and flossing, rinsing your mouth with a fluoride-based mouthwash can be a terrific way to strengthen and protect your teeth and gums. Rinsing with mouthwash at least once a day discourages the growth of harmful bacteria in your mouth. Some mouthwashes contain minerals like fluoride, strengthening your teeth' enamel and slowing down mineral erosion.
Find a Skilled General Dentist Near Me
Dental care is necessary to ensure your teeth, gums, and all other structures within your mouth are strong, healthy, and functional. Dentists encourage it as it also impacts your general well-being. Dental care goes beyond flossing and brushing your teeth daily. It includes regular dentist visits, avoiding teeth-damaging habits like grinding and smoking, and watching your consumption.
Dental care is possible with the assistance and support of a skilled dentist. At Valencia Advanced Dentistry at Copperhill Smiles, we can ensure you understand dental care's dos and don'ts and its benefits. Our dentists are highly trained and experienced in all fields of dentistry, ensuring quality and effective service. Call us at 661-775-7717 to learn more about our services in Santa Clarita.
