Preventative oral care is one of the most effective ways to maintain oral heath. At Lorne Park Dental, we offer a wide range of preventative treatments and provide detailed guidance for at-home oral hygiene.
At-Home Oral Hygiene
Preventative oral care strategies for children and adults include a number of in-office and at-home care activities. The most important prevention techniques are brushing and flossing daily to remove dental plaque, a sticky, film-like coating that forms on your teeth.
If not removed regularly, dental plaque can cause serious dental issues, such as tooth decay, bad breath and gum disease. Plaque hardens into tartar, or calculus, which needs to be removed to keep gums healthy.
Fluoride use, which strengthens teeth and prevents decay, is another way you can help protect your teeth on a daily basis. While we provide fluoride treatments in our office, we also recommend using fluoride toothpastes and mouth rinses at home.
In Mississauga, we have public water fluoridation in our drinking water, which provides a major source of fluoride.
Regular Dental Visits
Since most dental conditions are painless at first, if you don't regularly visit the dentist, you may not be aware of dental problems until they cause significant damage.
A dental cleaning (prophylaxis) is recommended to remove dental tartar and stains you are unable to remove yourself. For best results, we recommend regular dental check-ups and more frequent visits if you're at higher risk for cavities and gum or periodontal disease.
At your regular dental visits, we'll also sometimes perform x-rays. X-rays enable us to look for signs of dental problems that are not visible to the naked eye, such as cavities between teeth and problems below the gum line.
Diet & Health
Your overall health has a big impact on your oral health.
A balanced diet is a dental health essential. Foods that are heavy in sugars and carbohydrates feed the bacteria that produce dental plaque and increase your risk of dental cavities.
Smoking, chewing tobacco and alcohol consumption can also negatively affect your oral health. Apart from dry mouth, tooth discolouration and plaque buildup, smoking can cause gum disease, tooth loss and even oral cancer.
Oral Cancer Screenings
Oral cancer screenings are performed at dental appointments to check for signs of abnormal tissues in the mouth. Any abnormal tissue should be re-evaluated in 2 to 3 weeks. If it hasn't disappeared or reduced in size, the tissue should be biopsied to rule out cancer. It's important to get to know your own mouth and to do an oral cancer self-exam between dental visits. Learn here how to do an oral cancer self-exam.
Mouthguards (Sports Guards)
Mouthguards (also called sports guards) can be worn during sports activities to protect against injury. They can also be used to protect teeth from wearing down due to grinding or bruxism.
Sealants
Sealants are thin composite coatings placed on the chewing surfaces of back permanent teeth to protect your child from tooth decay.
Orthodontics
In addition to improving aesthetics and a sense of self-confidence, well aligned teeth are easier to keep clean than crooked teeth. Correcting an improper bite with orthodontics reduces the possibility of future dental problems.
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