If you don’t want to eventually need dentures, you’re going to need to take care of your teeth. That might sound obvious, but there are more than 20 million people in the U.S. who are missing all of their natural teeth, while as many as 178 million people in the U.S. are missing at least one tooth. That’s a lot of people who need to get either full, or partial dentures.
If you want to avoid need dentures, here’s what you need to do.
Brush Your Teeth Believe it or not, one in four adults doesn’t brush twice a day, including a third of men. This is a bigger problem than you might think, as periodontal disease, which can be prevented by brushing, is the most common cause of tooth loss among adults, according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. In other words, if you don’t brush your teeth, you may get periodontal disease, and wind up losing your teeth.
Get Dental Cleanings Only one half of adults visit their dentist every six months like they’re supposed to. During these semi-annual visits, dentists and dental hygienists help keep gum disease and tooth decay in check by correcting the problems while they’re still small. If the problems have gotten worse, teeth may need to be extracted, creating a situation where a patient may need dentures.
Floss Flossing is also a vital part of maintaining your oral health. Tiny particles of food often get lodged where the gums and teeth meet, and eventually harden and accrete over time to form tartar, a thick deposit that dentists need to remove with a scraper. Tartar can lead to gingivitis, and if left unchecked, it can spread below the gum line, causing periodontitis, which leads to tooth loss.
If you don’t want to one day wind up with dentures, you need to brush your teeth, get regular cleanings at your dentist’s office, and floss. If you’d like to know more about other Barrington cosmetic dentist procedures besides dentures, feel free to share in the comments.