The Three Pillars Of Preventive Dental Care

What’s there to know about preventive dental care? A lot! Preventive dental care is essential healthcare for anyone with a mouth, so that means everyone. The mouth performs necessary functions, like eating, speaking, and expressing emotions. It is the opening to the digestive system, and it also leads to the airway. Taking care of the mouth is therefore vital, making preventive dental care fundamental to human health. 

There are three main pillars of preventive dental care that everyone should understand: caring for teeth and gums at home, regular dental exams and cleanings, and taking necessary precautions to keep teeth intact.

Pillar 1: Taking Care of Teeth & Gums at Home

The biggest component of preventive dental care is keeping teeth and gums healthy at home. Taking care of teeth and gums is not complicated. In fact, many people succeed in keeping them healthy with a daily oral hygiene routine. Preventive dental care consists mainly of what we do on a daily basis. Every time a person brushes and flosses their teeth, they are preventing oral disease from taking hold. Twice daily brushing keeps cavity-causing plaque from eroding tooth enamel, and flossing keeps it from irritating the gum tissue and causing infection under the gumline. 

Pillar 2: Regular Dental Checkups

Visiting Benner Dental Care twice a year for an examination and cleaning is the cherry on top of the sundae, so to speak. If a person is doing a great job with their preventive dental care at home, we won’t have much to do when they visit our office beyond a few routine screenings and removing a little bit of stubborn plaque and tartar — because no one is perfect. 

While a person will take care of most of their preventive dental care at home, visits to our office are extremely important. Not only do we clean the teeth thoroughly, but we also check for any signs of oral disease, including tooth decay, gum disease, and infection. We can even see signs of oral cancer, TMJ disorder, and sleep apnea, all of which have significant health implications if not diagnosed and treated. 

Pillar 3: Taking Proper Precautions

Part of preventive dental care is understanding the internal and external factors that can impact oral health, including age, pregnancy, daily habits, stress, and lifestyle, and creating a plan to minimize damage. For instance, we know that hormone changes during pregnancy can make someone more prone to gum disease. Therefore, we always discuss the warning signs of gum disease with patients who tell us they’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant. If we know a patient participates in contact sports or has a job where there’s a high risk of impact to the face, we will recommend wearing a protective mouthguard. Likewise, if we discover that a patient grinds their teeth while asleep, we can create a custom nightguard to prevent costly damage, including premature wear, chips, and cracks. 

Preventive dental care is essential healthcare, and at Brenner Dental Care, located in Seattle, WA, we take it very seriously because our patients’ health is our top priority. If you’re due for a dental checkup or have questions about your oral health, call our office to schedule an appointment.