A Bad Start for Oral Health

A bad tooth day for your children.

Are you setting your children up for poor oral health? Many people talk about soft teeth or hard teeth that run in their families. Research, however, has never been able to demonstrate hard teeth or soft teeth. Instead, our dental health depends on what we develop during the first three years of life.

Cavities are contagious. Cavities are caused by contagious bacteria.  We get them from our caretakers such as our parents or nannies or grandparents and occasionally even friends.  Are you creating a good start or bad start for your children?

During the first three years of life we develop the bacterial balance in our mouths that will likely last a lifetime. If we are sharing spoons, glasses, slobbery kisses and other fun parent child engagements, then we will pick up the bacteria that inhabit our mouths from those people.

Do Fillings and Crowns improve your Dental Health?

Fillings and crowns do not improve your dental health.

For those of us who go to the dentist regularly, this may be an alarming statement.  We have spent a large sum of money on that dental work.  Repairing the damages of dental disease is very expensive. The thought that it does nothing to improve my state of dental disease is un-nerving!

But just think for a moment. The disease that caused your cavity in the first place started on a perfectly healthy tooth.  The disease created the hole (cavity) in your tooth.  Repairing that hole restores, to an extent, the integrity of the tooth; true enough.    However, it is easy to realize that filling the hole does nothing about the disease that started the hole in the first place.  The disease is still capable of creating another hole.  Unless you have done something additional, the disease still exists as before.  Repairing the damage of dental disease does nothing to reduce the disease itself!!

The cost of dental disease is very high.  The price of dental health, on the other hand, is very low.  Toothpaste, toothbrush, dental floss and 2 minutes a day is very inexpensive.

 

The one ingredient most people lack is the ability to evaluate themselves and know that their 2 minute effort each day was 100% effective. And that skill is not hard to learn!  It is also easy to teach, though few dental practices today take the time to do it.

 Be sure your dental professional is teaching you how to "disclose" (bring out of hiding) dental plaque.  It is the bacteria in dental plaque that modulate the disease.  You can also look at our website under "dental health" for a photo essay.

Ask your dental professional to show you, disclose, the bacteria causing your dental disease problems.  Then ask them to give you the time to brush the bacteria out so your hands "feel" what it takes.  Then ask them to evaluate with you your effectiveness and coach you with helpful tips. 

We do that with every check-up before we do any professional cleaning of a patient's teeth.  With a little practice, every patient can become totally effective in managing their dental disease.  With every check-up the professional "cleaning" requires less work.  Patients who have effectively learned how to manage the disease causing bacteria in their mouths do not need their teeth professionally cleaned every 6 months.  And they only need a light cleaning at their annual visit, even if they are regular coffee drinkers. 

Dental disease is under control, smiles are bright, new cavities are no longer a worry, fillings last longer - sometimes forever, and the wallet feels healthier too!

Want to learn more about great dental health, click HERE for Winningwithsmiles.com