The saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” applies to many things, most especially your oral health. More than half of Americans are missing at least one tooth and 40 million are missing all of them. Most of these losses can be tied back to tooth decay or gum disease — two problems that can be halted with regular dental care.
At Meadowbrook Dental Care, Drs. Miguel A. Casañas Jr. and Publio Silfa believe that one of the best steps you can take to preserve your dental health is coming in for preventive and regular care with us. Through our dental exams and professional cleanings, we can stay one step ahead of your dental health and preserve your teeth long into the future, giving you something to really smile about.
Here’s a closer look at why you should come see us on a regular basis.
Dental problems by the numbers
While scare tactics aren’t the best motivators, we feel it’s important to underscore the consequences of dental neglect.
Consider these numbers:
Nearly half of all Americans over the age of 30 have some degree of gum disease
One in five kids between the ages of 5 and 11 have one tooth affected by decay
92% of adults between the ages of 20 and 64 have dental caries in their permanent teeth
While these numbers may paint a dire picture, the good news is that there are some easy steps we can take to prevent these problems from leading to the tooth loss we mentioned above.
Your dental exam
During your twice-a-year dental exams, we take the opportunity to exam your teeth and gums closely to look for signs of decay or disease. Through X-rays, we can get a glimpse inside your teeth to see whether caries are forming and take immediate action to clear out the bacteria to prevent further damage. Imagine, one simple filling now can preserve your tooth for a lifetime (or its lifetime if we’re addressing baby teeth).
This six-month visit is also a great time to discuss teeth alignment, whether wisdom teeth need to be extracted, and any other dental issues that are on your mind. For example, we can outfit you with a mouthguard if teeth grinding is a problem or you play sports.
If you’re at all anxious about seeing a dentist, we make every effort to ensure your comfort, and we offer sedation dentistry to that end.
Keeping it clean
Getting your teeth cleaned is a critical part of your exam. In fact, a professional dental cleaning is one of the best preventive steps you can take to avoid tooth decay and gum disease. During your cleaning, our hygienists get to those hard-to-reach places to remove plaque and tartar to help you avoid tooth decay.
As well, in the earliest stages of gum disease, which is called gingivitis, we can easily clear up the problem during your cleaning.
If your gum disease has progressed to periodontitis, we may perform a deeper cleaning to remove bacteria-harboring plaque from underneath your gums.
Finally, a tooth cleaning here provides you with fresh, pearly whites, as we remove tough stains that can build up despite your at-home care.
The bottom line is that you have everything to gain by keeping up with your regular dental care. To schedule your appointment today, contact our office in Minneola, New York.