This can mean NOT doing those things that can expose your teeth and gums to damage and decay and DOING those things that promote health in your teeth and gums.
Eating the wrong foods and drinking the wrong drinks will promote tooth decay. The wrong foods are foods with high-sugar content such as candy bars (if you can call it a food), desserts, ice-cream and so forth. The wrong drinks include soft-drinks, athletic or energy drinks, or drinks such as coffee and tea with plenty of sugar added to them. Doing this occasionally is not the problem. It is doing this consistently that presents a threat to oral health.
Doing the right things would include eating the proper foods (little or no sugar), raw vegetables and fruits which can have a cleaning action on the teeth, providing you chew well. The other right thing to do is brushing and flossing your teeth at least two times a day.
Nothing in this universe stays the same. It is either getting better or it is getting worse. This is true for your teeth. Leave them alone and pay no attention to them and the result will be deterioration and decay. That, in turn will result in discomfort, pain and unhappiness. Ironically, you will be now FORCED to deal with your teeth just to get rid of the discomfort and pain. Your dentist will help, but there will be a price to pay.
Paying attention to your teeth, looking after them is a positive action and message, which results in healthy teeth that are able to stand up to assault of sugar. Your reward will be health, happiness and a great smile. Your teeth will not be a distraction to you as you live your life. The dentist is an essential element and member of your team, who will work with you to ensure your teeth remain healthy and beautiful.
FLUORIDE
Fluoride is a substance that helps teeth become stronger and more resistant to decay. In the United States, fluoride is present in the drinking (tap) water. Drinking water treated with fluoride and brushing your teeth regularly with toothpaste that contains fluoride and flossing regularly significantly lowers the risk of having cavities. Also, having professional fluoride treatments when getting a dental cleaning can help prevent cavities and also helps to kill bacteria that cause gum disease.
SEALANTS
The grooves of depression on the chewing surfaces of your back teeth can be very difficult (if not impossible) to keep clean of bacteria and food debris.
Unfortunately, this can make it difficult to prevent cavities in these areas.
A handling for this is to seal these grooves and depressions with a resin that has the same color as the tooth. This results in creating a smooth surface that food particles cannot get lodged in and thus preventing decay. This sealant lasts for several years and needs to be checked during regular dental visits.
ORTHODONTIC PROBLEMS
This relates to problems of teeth that are misaligned. This misalignment can result from missing teeth as well as extra teeth. Orthodontics comes from the Greek word ortho- which means straight or proper and -odons which means tooth. Therefore an orthodontist seeks to bring about straight and proper teeth. Teeth can become misaligned for a number of reasons. For example, a baby tooth being removed before the second tooth is ready to appear can cause the jaw to form incorrectly and later result in teeth crowding. It is very important that children's teeth are well looked after and receive proper attention from you and your family dentist to ensure that their teeth develop correctly.
The Orthodontist will use different types of braces and retainers to force the teeth to grow into the desired position in the mouth.
Irina Rodriguez, D.D.S.
(Serving Ojai, Lake Casitas, Santa Paula, Oxnard, Ventura, Carpinteria)
117 Pirie Rd., Suite A
Ojai, CA 93023
Phone: (805) 646-3700 Emergency: (805) 415-4478
irinarod@sbcglobal.net