Best DC Dentist

How to Prevent Cavities

Cavities (also known as tooth decay or dental caries), are the second most dominant disease in the US. They basically occur when plaque (that sticky biofilm that forms on your teeth) gets to combine with starches of foods such as sugars. The combination is basically harmful to your teeth in that the process creates acids that attack your tooth’s enamel. If you want to know how to prevent cavities, then reading this article will definitely educate you about this.

Always Brush Your Teeth

It’s generally recommended that you brush at least twice a day. But if you’re really serious on preventing cavities from destroying your teeth, then you should consider brushing your teeth three times everyday with toothpaste that contains fluoride. Toothpaste should not be swallowed by the way.

Floss Everyday

Flossing is essential to preventing cavities. Every time you eat, bits of food always get stuck in your mouth in between teeth. If you don’t try to remove these bits of food, cavities will eventually form. Floss everyday so you can remove any small pieces of food that’s stuck in your teeth. Just make sure that you don’t pull it on your gums.

Consume Proper Nutrition

Eating healthy is probably the best way you can ensure yourself of having good strong teeth. Lessening your intake of sugary foods aids your teeth from minimizing the formation of plaque. Eating foods that are rich in calcium also helps your teeth become healthier. Milk, cheese, and spinach, are some examples of foods rich in calcium. Sardines, soybeans and fortified cereals are also some calcium-rich foods.

Use Antimicrobial Mouth Rinses

Using antimicrobial mouth rinses is an effective way to reduce plaque formation in your teeth. Rinses such as Crest Pro Health and Listerine are very effective at helping to fight off cavities. Mouth rinsing after brushing is also recommended for your teeth to prevent cavity formation.

Chew Some Sugarless Gums

There are some sugarless gums in the market that are totally advantageous for you aside from the simple pleasure of chewing them. Some sugarless gums are even helpful in increasing your saliva flow, thereby helping to reduce the risk of cavities. Notable sugarless gums are Eclipse, Extra, and Wrigley’s Orbit. Chewing these helps you to avoid or stop your teeth from forming cavities.

Utilize Dental Sealants

Dental sealants are also beneficial to strong and healthy teeth. Sealants are basically protective coating designed to be applied to the back teeth’s biting surfaces. It shields against plaque and bacteria to protect the tooth and hinder it from forming cavities. It’s used mainly by children because of their permanent teeth’s new growth. However, it can also benefit most adults who want to prevent their teeth from creating cavities.

As a final advice before you go, you should never, ever be afraid of your dentist. Especially when you’re talking about the health of your gums and teeth, only a dentist can help you in this regard. Most of these cavities cannot be detected unless your dentist is the one that’s looking for them. They do this either by looking at your dental x-rays or just simply peering at the insides of your mouth with small mirrors. Visit your dc dentist regularly so you can be sure that you have perfectly healthy teeth.

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Opening the yellow pages to the section labeled dentist and randomly selecting a dentist on the page is a method many people use in choosing a dc dentist. However this is not necessarily the best strategy to use. Finding a good dentist is very important to the health of your teeth and mouth.

When searching for a dentist you may want to start by looking at the yellow pages to see who is available in your area. But do not stop your selection process there, however, ask other health care professionals for recommendations, or if they have heard anything good or bad about the dentists in which you have selected. Local pharmacists and family physicians usually work closely with local dentists therefore they may have some information on the dentist you have selected, so ask them. Also, you can search the internet for comments that may be listed about the reputation of the dentist, or look with the better business bureau for any complaints as well.

Knowing whether or not the dentist is well versed in procedures that are relevant to you is also another key factor when selecting a dentist. If you need specific procedures done, such as getting veneers, ensure that the dentist has done this procedure before and is well educated on this procedure as well. If they have not performed the procedure which you are seeking, ask them to refer you to somebody that has. Also, if you have children, knowing if the dentist works well with children should be important. While almost everybody is a little anxious or on edge when going to the dentist, children are much more likely to show signs of anxiousness, and this could be difficult for dentists who do not usually work with children.

Finally, cost should not be the deciding factor in selecting a dentist. While dental work can be very expensive, choosing a dentist who costs less than an average dentist may end up being problematic. Typically dentists who charge less than the average dentists use lower quality dental materials or practices. Although the low-cost aspect of the dentist may be appealing, unfortunately you may end up needing many procedures in order to fix the low-cost work, thus creating a larger dental bill in the long run. On the other hand, choosing a dentist that charges more than the average dentist does not mean his work is far superior either; so get estimates for the dental procedures you need completed before selecting one specific dentist.

Using good dental tips and information is very important to the health of your teeth and mouth. You do not have an obligation to any one dentist, so if you do not like the dentist you have selected find one that suits your needs better.

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On the average, annual dental expenses for a family of five can be alarmingly high as $2500. Incidentally, there are smart ways to lower dental costs and still have a great smile all year round. Here are some of these great dental tips:

Toothpastes

One’s dental care and maintenance requires an arsenal of toothbrushes, mouthwashes, dental flosses, and toothpastes. If brands that are more expensive are appealing because they give you the confidence that you are getting the best products, it is still a waste of your time and money if you do not brush, rinse, and floss your teeth every after a meal.

Inexpensive brands that have passed FDA approval are just as effective and safe for use. Expensive or not, you have to know which are best for your particular problem or you should be aware that some toothpaste could be abrasive and injure the tooth’s enamel when used regularly. Going cheap on toothpaste must not beguile you to spend a cent on imported toothpastes; these must be FDA approved or your health can be compromised with toxic toothpastes.

Toothbrushes

Your toothbrush should have soft bristles to prevent injury to gums and teeth enamel. Replace your toothbrush every three months to ensure that your teeth get a good workout because brushing teeth with a frayed toothbrush does not rid the teeth of food debris and other contaminants lodged on the teeth’s surface. Eventually those left-over tiny food particles can burn a hole through your teeth. In the matter of expense, a good toothbrush costs more but think of the dental visits it will save you.

Know how to brush your teeth properly. Children should also be taught how to use their toothbrushes on the front teeth, molars, and the insides and outer sides of the teeth. Avoid brushing your teeth beyond two minutes; this will not remove the plaques but will destroy your teeth’s enamels and harm your gums. It is also important to know how the proper toothbrush motions are done to get maximum efficiency from your toothbrush.

Mouth Washes

Rinsing your mouth with mouth washes prevents gum disease and other oral problems. This should be used in combination with your teeth cleaning regimen. To repeat, choose products that bear the FDA seal of approval. These have antiseptic and anti-plaque properties and freshens breath.

Dental Floss

Teeth flossing should be done every after meal to remove food particles stuck between teeth. Flossing should be done gently and correctly to avoid damaging the gum tissue. Wrap the tooth with flossing thread a C shape and gently slide the floss all the way below the gum line and gently tip the floss twice. The same is done on the other teeth.

Dental Insurance

Consider dental insurance for you and your family. There are several plans and includes the direct reimbursement program. Should the time come that you need dental service or your children will need braces, you will be ready for it. Having a dental insurance will not burn a hole in your pocket if and when you need a dental procedure.

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Nobody really likes having to go to the dentist, just think where we’d be if there weren’t anyone to take care of our teeth? A lot worse off, that’s where!

To try and keep your trips limited to check-ups, here are a few tips that you can follow to keep your smile as healthy as possible:

• Brush your teeth as often as is possible for you. Keeping your teeth as free of debris as possible will help prevent the formation of acids that will wear away the enamel and lead to sensitivity in the teeth. Your dentist or hygienist can suggest how much is enough based on the kinds of food you eat most often. One major company is now offering little disposable brushes complete with toothpaste that can be carried in a small wallet or pocket for use almost anywhere.
• Try to rinse, brush, or chew gum after consuming beverages that are high in acids. This includes things like coffee, tea, brown colored colas and wine. Also, try not to drink two beverages of diametrically temperatures at the same time (i.e. drinking ice water and hot coffee at the same meal). The opposite temperatures can cause cracks in the tooth or enamel that can lead to cavities or even structural flaws that can lead to a chipped or broken tooth. Iced mineral water is actually a better choice as a drink because it doesn’t contain substances that can stain or dull the natural brightness of the enamel. The water also contains minerals that the body can then utilize to strengthen the bones and teeth. An added benefit is that you probably won’t have to worry about whitening your smile if you take preventative steps to preserve it now.
• If you participate in a physical sport like football or hockey, be sure to wear a protective mouth guard. There are commercial ones available, but if you regularly play such an aggressive sport, it will be worth the expense of having your dental professional fit you for a custom-designed one. It’s generally a good idea to employ some sort of mouth protection when doing any kind of activity where there is a higher probability of receiving an injury to the mouth. Although not often readily thought of as being problematic, other potentially dangerous activities can include riding an ATV, water jet ski, playing soccer or even baseball. Prevention now can reduce the number of injuries and problems later on.
• Like brushing, proper flossing on a daily basis is integral to keeping a mouth healthy. Floss can remove particles in between the teeth that a brush may not necessarily be able to get our, robbing the bacteria in your mouth of substances that can lead to tooth damage from acid output. It also keeps the varieties of germ that lead to infection from spreading too rapidly. And recent research by the American Dental Association has linked infection of the gums and mouth to more serious conditions like stroke and heart attack.

By trying to incorporate some of these tips into your daily routine, you can keep your teeth healthy and make your visit to your dentist a more positive experience.

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