Most people appreciate that when it comes to your health and wellbeing, prevention is always better than cure. The same can be said for your dental health. Nevertheless, many of us continue to take our teeth for granted and suffer from a whole host of problems as a result. Sometimes these can be caught and rectified early before any lasting damage can be done. In other instances, our lack of care for our teeth can leave us suffering unnecessary pain and other unpleasant and debilitating symptoms. Taking positive steps to keep our teeth healthy in the first place can enable us to avoid many of the issues associated with poor dental hygiene and reduce the amount of dental treatment required to retain our natural teeth. This is known as preventative dentistry.

What is preventative dentistry?

Preventative dentistry is a specific branch of dental practice that involves showing our teeth adequate care and consideration so that we can avoid many common dental problems such as gum disease, cavities, enamel wear and more. There are a range of different aspects of preventative dentistry, some of which you must take responsibility for at home, and others which your dentist can support you with. Typically preventative care encompasses some of the following:

Daily brushing and flossing

Unsurprisingly, daily brushing is the most important thing that you can do to protect your teeth at home. By ensuring you brush for several minutes at least twice a day and flossing between your teeth using an interdental brush or conventional floss, you can deal with any bacteria and food debris quickly, before it can cause damage to your teeth.

Professional dental cleaning

Although you can take steps to clean your teeth at home, it is still recommended that you visit your dentist for a deep-clean at least twice each year. This is because only your dentist has professional tools needed to remove hardened areas of plaque (known as calculus), which is a leading contributor of many dental health problems including gum disease. Your dentist also has an uncompromised view of your mouth and teeth, enabling them to spot and deal with any developing problems quickly and before any permanent damage can occur.

Dental sealants

Although most commonly associated with being placed onto the back teeth of children, adults too can benefit from dental sealants. Dental sealants are thin, plastic coatings that are painted onto the chewing surfaces of the molars and premolars. These bond to the pits and grooves in the teeth so that tiny particles of food and bacteria cannot become trapped and cause decay. The process of applying them is simple and painless, and sealants will typically last around 10 years before needing to be replaced.

If you would like more information on what is involved in preventative care, or why preventative care is so valuable, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our experienced dental team.