Preventative Dentistry to Protect Your Smile 

At Stonebrook Family Dental, we believe that it’s always better to prevent rather than to cure or repair. Regular checkups and cleanings help guard you from unnecessary dental pain and disease. Here is why preventative dentistry is important for your smile (and your wallet!) 

What is Preventative Dentistry?

Preventative dentistry is a form of dental care that helps you maintain good oral health. It uses both regular dental checkups along with good at-home dental habits like brushing and flossing. Taking care of your teeth starts very early in life and extends throughout the course of your life. 

Common preventative dentistry services include:

• Regular oral exams, typically every six months
• Teeth cleaning
• Routine x-rays

At-Home Tips for Preventative Care

In addition to seeing your dentist for those services mentioned, much of preventative dentistry starts with you. Cigna explains that healthy dental habits early in life can help reduce cavities, gum disease, and gingivitis. The basics of good oral health at-home are:

• Brush your teeth at least twice a day, usually morning and night. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste. If you’re not sure how to properly brush, read this. 
• Floss daily to get food and plaque that gets lodged between the teeth.
• Use a mouthwash to rinse your mouth out after flossing.
• Avoid acidic foods that weaken and destroy tooth enamel. 
• Be cautious with hard foods, like candies, foods with bones, seeds, or pits that can damage your teeth.
• Don’t smoke or use tobacco products as they can lead to cancer and dental health issues.
• Use a mouthguard when participating in certain sports.
• If you grind your teeth at night, ask your dentist for a nighttime mouth guard to help reduce gum recession. 

Preventative Dentistry in Children

Much like adults, preventative dentistry in children revolves around helping identify problems early on in the child’s life before the dental problems become worse, more painful, and more expensive. For children, Cigna explains that preventative dental care includes:

• Promoting good dental habits, including brushing and flossing, as well as monitoring thumb sucking and their diets. 
• Regular teeth cleanings and exams, every six months just like adults.
• Fluoride application at the dentist.
• Sealants.
• Routine x-rays to help track jaw and teeth development.
• Fitting athletic mouthguard.
• Referrals to orthodontists if teeth are crooked and other dental specialists as needed.
• Helping identify related health issues that may cause dental health problems. 

The Importance of Regular Dental Visits

You might think that if you’re healthy and currently not showing signs of any problems in your mouth you don’t need to go to the dentist — but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Seeing your dentist regularly, every six months, is an important part of maintaining a healthy smile. These regular appointments can help catch problems early on, when you yourself might not even realize a problem is beginning. Further, they can help problems from developing in the first place. Visiting your dentist for your regularly scheduled appointments is also important because some diseases or other medical conditions can have symptoms that appear in the mouth. 

Catching dental health problems early on is likely to result in a simpler treatment plan and be more affordable. 

Maintaining a Healthy Smile for Life

Routine checkups and cleanings help maintain the health and appearance of your smile. With proper oral hygiene, you are taking care of your dental health. When we get busy, our at-home hygiene routines often slack, however, your teeth are meant to last your entire lifetime, so it’s worth making time for. While teeth are the hardest substance found in your body, they can read down under the daily attack of bacteria and plaque in the mouth. When you come in for your appointment at Stonebrook Family Dental, our team will walk you through the best ways to protect your smile day in and day out. 

You can prevent problems by paying attention to your smile. It’s always better to prevent rather than to cure or repair. With preventative dentistry, you can avoid more invasive procedures and permanent dental health issues. 

Make an Appointment with Stonebrook Family Dental

If you’re ready to stop your bad habits before it ruins your smile, make an appointment with Stonebrook Family Dental today. Our friendly team understands that you and your loved ones might not be excited about coming to the dentist, but we will take the time to help you and your family feel comfortable in our care. For more information about preventative dentistry, call us today: (303)-872-7907.