General Dental Care

Are you someone who is always worrying about the dentist? You are not alone. Far from it, as a matter of fact. Anytime you stand in a room with a handful of people, you’re likely sharing space with someone (or multiple someones!) who shares your dental office phobia. Anywhere from nine to 20 percent of Americans are so anxious about going to the dentist that they DON’T go to the dentist.

Of course, getting together to talk about how you are all worrying about the dentist is nobody’s idea of a good time. And worrying about the dentist, as crippling a fear as it can be, doesn’t do you any good in the short- or long-term. Regular dental care is an essential part of maintaining good overall health.

Here are some common reasons for dental office phobia as well as some tips on how to overcome these fears and begin going to the dentist:

Fear of pain: Let’s face it, most dental procedures-with all that drilling, filling and scraping-SOUND painful. And it can be discomforting to look at the array of sharp-edged tools at a dentist’s chair. But advances in dental anesthesia allow patients to experience little to no pain while undergoing these intensive procedures. Most dentists will put a patient at ease by agreeing to stop a treatment immediately he or she raises a hand. If your dentist won’t agree to this, find another dentist.

Fear of needles: Alas, even with anesthesia, feeling the pinch of a needle is unavoidable at the dentist. Novocaine is delivered with a dose between the gums. But this is a very brief pinching that is over before the patient knows it, and he or she will yield benefits throughout a pain-free procedure!

Fear of giving up control: This dentist office phobia is completely understandable-after all, the patient is sitting there, mouth agape, and at the mercy of a dentist who is doing things that are impossible to see from a prone position.

While there’s nothing a dentist can do about how a patient has to lie in the chair, he or she can put the patient at ease and reduce any worrying about the dentist by explaining exactly what will happen during the procedure as well as how long it will take.

The dentist will be displeased either because you’ve waited so long to see him and/or because there’s so much work that needs to be done. The first part of this is a classic procrastinator’s response-continuing to put something off because you fear the response you’ll get FOR putting it off so long. But the dental problems you need to address won’t get fixed with inaction. Take comfort in knowing dentists are well-trained in putting nervous patients at ease-and in treating patients who have been worrying about the dentist for years and haven’t been in a dentist’s chair in a long, long time. Dentists take pride in restoring someone’s smile and returning him or her to good dental health. Don’t worry about how long it’s taken you to visit the dentist-conquering your fear and heading into the office for a long-awaited checkup will pay dividends immediately!

Oral health care is vital if you want to keep your teeth, gums and mouth healthy, but is seems that despite all the oral health information available giving good oral hygiene advice, the majority are not getting their oral hygiene routine right as the growth of dental hygienist’s jobs in the US has increased greatly due to demand in recent years.

Most of the problems with oral health can be easily avoided with regular dentist health care and dental hygienist visits on a regular basis throughout the year, this ensures any problems are found early. If you experience any bleeding of the gums during brushing, it indicates that there could be a problem as does persistent bad breath which is also known as Halitosis. The earlier any oral health problems are found the cheaper it will be, dentist and dental hygienist prices can become very costly.

Good oral hygiene only takes a little time each day and if you want to avoid having bad breath, hard plaque build up and bleeding gums just follow these oral health care steps.

Good Oral Hygiene Steps

Ask your dental hygienist about good oral health care practice. They will show you exactly what to do for the best results, specifically for your individual teeth and mouth.

Don’t Smoke
Smoking depletes the body of calcium which in turn is bad news for your teeth. Smoking also makes your breath smell and stains the teeth. Besides this there have been a lot of oral health care concerns regarding mouth cancer due to the combination of smoking and drinking together as well as mouth, tongue and cheek cancers due to smoking and no amount of dental treatment will put this right once you have come this far.

Diet
A good diet is essential for healthy teeth and gums. Include calcium rich foods like nuts, cheese and chicken for strong tooth enamel. Apples, pears and firm fruits and vegetables aid in saliva production helping to get rid of food and acid. It is advisable to consume the more acidic fruit and vegetables like oranges within a bigger meal. Drink lots of water. Avoid candy and hard sugary sweets, sodas, and too many sugary cookies and cakes as these coat and stick to the teeth. Teeth staining is quite common amongst those that drink too much red wine, tea and coffee, so drink these in moderation.

Brushing Your Teeth
Brush your teeth twice a day and most importantly before you go to bed. Don’t brush too hard around the gums as this can result in receding gums in the future. Use short stokes and make sure you gently brush away from the gum line.

Toothbrushes should be replaced as soon as you see signs of wear. Do not share your toothbrush with anyone else and if you have had a cold or infection make sure you rinse the brush with a mouthwash or similar to clean the brush of bacteria.

Electric toothbrush or manual? My dentist told me it is not just about the brush or the toothpaste it is about the technique and how long you brush for. There are many electric toothbrushes on the market but my dental hygienist recommends OralB.

Most of us use a toothpaste containing fluoride which aids in preventing cavities and tooth decay. Many people however use a non fluoridated alternative especially those with younger children who may swallow more than is recommended of the toothpaste during brushing. Parents are concerned of the possibility of disfiguring dental fluorosis. Do your own research on this if you are concerned, alternative toothpaste can be found at most health stores.

Brush your tongue, a lot of toothbrushes have a gentle tongue scraper on the top of the toothbrush head. Using a mouth rinse or mouth wash is often recommended by your dental hygienist if necessary.

You Must Floss
Floss daily, ask your dentist if you should use dental floss or dental tape, one is thicker than the other and comfort of use is dependent on the space there is between your teeth. Use approximately 20 inches of dental floss, wrap enough around your fingers so that you have a firm grip on the floss and gently slot between all of the teeth working under the gum line, not too hard around the gum area though.

Common daily dental habits such as brushing, flossing and using mouthwash certainly contribute to a patient’s good hygiene. But not everyone realizes the connection between eating and dental health. It’s not enough to just brush and floss after eating. WHAT you eat has a huge impact on your overall dental health. Emphasizing certain foods in your diet-and excluding some others-will go a long way towards improving and maintaining good dental health.

Here are some dental health and eating tips to follow:

Minimizing or cutting out snacking in between meals is a great way to lose weight. It’s also among the more underrated daily dental habits. The less you eat between meals, the less your teeth are exposed to the types of acid that wear down enamel. As importantly, little or no snacking in between meals means there’s less opportunity for food to stick to your teeth or get stuck between the teeth and gums.

If you must snack between meals, items such as meats, cheeses and nuts are recommended as good eating and dental health choices since they actually help the enamel on teeth. Avoid at all costs the usual suspects-sugary items such as candy, cakes and cookies, items that are heavy in carbohydrates such as breads, crackers and French fries and dried fruits such as raisins and bananas. All these foods contain sugar that can generate harmful acid. As tasty as most of those foods are, avoid them in order to maintain good eating and dental health habits.

Eating and dental health is also a matter of watching what you drink in between meals. Water-particularly water that has fluoride in it-an unsweetened tea, which also contains fluoride, are the best drinks, both during and between meals. Try to avoid drinks with sugar, such as sodas and fruit juices. And if you do consume sugary drinks, make sure to drink them as fast as possible and don’t sip them over a long period of time. The longer you sip a sugary drink, the more your teeth are exposed to acids.

Looking for something to do in between meals that might take your mind off snacking? Chewing sugarless gum cuts down on the bacteria in a mouth by increasing the amount of saliva. And Xylitol, a sweetener in some sugarless gums, also reduces bacteria.

Follow a balanced diet. The five food groups are as reliable as always: Fruits, vegetables, meat, milk products and bread products. Sure, some of these foods that contribute to bacteria in the mouth and on teeth, but there is no avoiding them in a good diet. Moderation is key, and the damage can be greatly limited by brushing your teeth immediately after a meal.

Good daily dental habits must include paying particular attention to what, when and how you eat! Eating and dental health is a symbiotic relationship. Making sure you follow good eating habits will improve your dental health, minimize any potential tooth decay problems-and make your dentist very happy!