Hygiene/Preventative Treatment
At Hillhurst Dental, educating our patients about Oral Hygiene and the benefits of a Preventative Hygiene Program is extremely important to us. Our goal is to help you and your family have full oral health for a lifetime!
We feel it is important to focus on your dental hygiene as it is the process where you maintain proper dental care to avoid oral health problems. It is recommended that you see your dentist and dental hygienist at least twice a year. However, your own home care is an integral part of maintaining good oral health. A good home care regimen supplemented by regular dental check-up and cleanings is the best way to prevent dental emergencies.
Your Oral Health is part of a healthy lifestyle and reduces the risk of oral disease…
- Maintain good oral hygiene. Brush and floss regularly. Eat a well-balanced diet and avoid excess sugar.
- Check your gums. Look for red, shiny, puffy, sore or sensitive gums; bleeding when you brush and floss; bad breath that won’t go away.
- Don’t smoke. If you smoke, talk to your dentist today about how tobacco is affecting your oral health and appearance. Tobacco is a major cause of tooth loss through gum disease. Smoking can lead to serious problems like oral cancer.
- See your dentist regularly. Regular check-ups and professional cleanings are the best way to prevent problems and unnecessary expense. Don’t wait until it hurts.
Brushing with fluoride toothpaste is recommended at least twice a day to remove plaque and the remnants of food and drink from our teeth and gums. Flossing once a day is an essential practice to avoid gum disease and preventing tooth decay. An oral rinse also helps promote good oral hygiene as it will reduce oral discomfort, provide moisture to oral tissues and help with bad breath. More therapeutic oral rinses can be anti-plaque, anti-cavity, anti-tarter, and anti-bacterial and are all good at preventing oral health problems. Ask your Hillhurst Dental professional what they recommend for you.
Practicing the above oral hygiene habits are great ways to maintain proper oral health. But good habits alone will not remove all the plaque that builds up over time. This is why it is necessary to see your dentist and dental hygienist regularly to remove the plaque in order to most effectively lower your risk of toothaches, cavities, periodontal disease or even the loss of all your teeth. By removing plaque you reduce your chances of needing root canals, tooth extractions, dental bridges, crowns and more.