Importance of Dental Care
Dental care is one of the most important aspects of health, but it often gets overlooked. Its importance isn’t only in keeping teeth and gums healthy, but also in preventing other problems that can affect overall health. Children need to begin practicing oral hygiene from a very young age. This includes brushing twice a day with a soft-bristled toothbrush and toothpaste that has been approved for use by the American Dental Association (ADA). Parents should also take their child to see a trusted team of dentists when their first tooth appears, usually around 12 months of age. This appointment will help prevent tooth decay and other dental problems later in life.
As a parent, you’ll want to establish good habits and routines that will become permanent for your child. These may include limiting sweets, drinking plenty of water, and getting regular dental checkups. The ADA recommends that kids avoid foods with a high amount of sugar, such as juice, soda, cookies, and candy. These foods break down into simple sugars, which bacteria feed on to produce acid that eats away at the teeth and can cause cavities. You should also make sure that your child has a tooth-friendly diet and avoids the most common culprits of tooth decay: starchy foods, such as crackers, bread, and chips. These foods linger in the mouth, making it harder for a toothbrush to clean the teeth thoroughly. This can also encourage the growth of bad bacteria that can lead to plaque buildup and tooth decay. For this reason, ADA recommends that you limit the number of starchy foods that your child eats and increase the number of fruits, vegetables, and dairy products that they eat.
Children’s oral health is influenced by their lifestyles and other factors such as diet, family history of health conditions, and other risk behaviors. For example, people who smoke are at greater risk for dental disease than nonsmokers. Other factors that increase a person’s risk for dental diseases include diabetes, pregnancy, and menopause. During pregnancy, increased hormones can change how well saliva is produced. This can result in tooth decay or a condition called burning mouth syndrome. Women who are breastfeeding should also have their teeth checked by a dentist. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, it is best to see a dentist as soon as possible and use low-fluoride toothpaste from the time your baby’s first tooth comes in. This can reduce the risk of a cavity, as well as other dental problems that may arise during pregnancy or nursing. It’s also important for families to practice good dental wellness hygiene at home. For starters, they should brush their teeth with a soft bristle toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste every time they eat or drink anything that contains sugar, such as juice, soda, or milk. They should also not put their children to bed with a bottle.
The most effective strategy to improve dental care for all Americans is to treat it as an essential health benefit and to ensure that all adults receive it. This requires moving beyond current policies to a new model of dental education and delivery that can promote high-quality, patient-centered care and address the financial sustainability of dental care. This requires an interdisciplinary approach that involves payers, philanthropists, health providers, and public health professionals in partnership with patients and dentists. Learn more about dentist at https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodontist.
