Your cell phone rarely rings any more. The messages and information that you receive more often comes in the form of text messages and emails. That’s why when your phone rang when you were out of town you were caught off guard. You were enjoying a Christmas holiday weekend with most of your family so you knew that most anyone who would possibly be calling you was already with you. With an anxious look at your phone, you were relieved to discover that the call was from your family dentist office. An automated reminder for your older daughter’s appointment on Tuesday afternoon.
Family dentist visits are the beginning of a healthy oral hygiene routine. While brushing and flossing your teeth twice a day will help you avoid many problems, regular six month check-ups will keep your children with a better smile for the rest of their life.
While a lucky few adults have nothing more to worry about than keeping yearly visits to the family dentist and asking for whiter teeth, many Americans have greater dental concerns. While the number of teeth whitening procedures has increased by nearly 300% in America over the past five years, another estimated 15 million people have to schedule crown and bridge replacements for teeth they are missing. Access to regular family dentist appointments is important if future generations want to enjoy the luxury of cosmetic procedures like teeth whitening, instead of struggling to pay for missing and decaying teeth that are a result of previous neglect.
Did you know that tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the entire human body? In spite of its harness though without proper and consistent dental care the gums and coloring of your teeth can suffer. If not properly aligned through the use of orthodonture work when needed, teeth can be worn down and become visibly smaller. If the situation gets bad enough partial dentures or a full set of permanent dentures may be necessary.
What are you doing to make sure that you have the best healthy smile possible for years to come?
- brushing your teeth for at least one minute after every meal
- flossing your teeth at least twice a day
- making and keeping dental appointments, twice a year for children, once a year for adults
- avoiding over consumption of teeth staining foods like coffee, soda and other strong colored drinks and foods
- avoiding chewing on ice and and other items that are damaging to teeth
- immediatley addressing any sign of decay that you see between visits
Many people think that having a healthy smile is the best way to make a first impression when meeting new friends or possible coworkers. What are you doing to protect and improve your first impression?
