A consistent schedule of dental checkups and cleanings is the most commonly recognized form of preventive dental care. By professionally cleaning and checking your teeth and oral tissues at least twice a year, your dentist can help you ensure that your smile remains consistently healthy and free of issues like tooth decay, gum disease, and more. However, your own daily dental hygiene efforts are just as important to the long-term care and preservation of your smile. The threats that can arise from the excessive buildup of oral bacteria are often just the beginning of more serious concerns, and your hygiene routine is key to preventing them.
The constant threat of oral bacteria
Oral bacteria are the building blocks that make up the dental plaque that accumulates on your teeth and along your gum line every day. There are several hundred different kinds of bacteria that inhabit a healthy human mouth, and some of them are directly responsible for the things that lead to concerns like tooth decay, gum disease, and more. When they develop, tooth decay and gum disease can have significant impacts on your long-term oral health, including the erosion of your healthy, natural tooth structure or periodontal tissues (respectively). The reason it’s important to keep up with good dental hygiene every day is because oral bacteria constantly accumulate on your teeth and gums. To prevent them from causing harm, you must consistently remove them before they can accumulate excessively.
The goals of hygiene and preventive care
The main goal of a good dental hygiene routine is to prevent the buildup of oral bacteria and the potential consequences that could stem from it. Your preventive dental care routine has the same goal, and your routine checkup and cleaning appointments are essential to removing plaque that has been allowed to calcify (known as tartar). To remove any tartar that has been allowed to develop, you should attend professional dental cleanings at least once every six months. Otherwise, the oral bacteria that are protected by the tartar can have a greater chance of leading to tooth decay, gum disease, or more.
The key to keeping your smile clean and healthy
In both your dental hygiene routine and your schedule of preventive dental care, consistency is the key to keeping your smile clean and healthy. Because oral bacteria are constantly active, it only takes a minor slip in your routine to allow them to lead to more significant concerns. To improve your chances of successfully preventing long-term oral health concerns, be sure to consistently and carefully brush and floss your teeth every day, and to visit your dentist for routine checkups and cleanings as often as recommended.
Learn about good dental hygiene and oral health
Sticking to good dental hygiene principles is an everyday thing, but it can have significant long-term consequences for your oral health. To learn more, or to schedule an appointment, call Lake Orion Family Dentistry in Lake Orion, MI, today at 248-693-6213.
