The health of your mouth and teeth is a crucial aspect of your overall well-being. Good dental and oral hygiene, combined with a balanced diet, regular exercise, and abstaining from high risk behaviors like smoking and excessive consumption of sugar, can help to keep your smile and the rest of your body healthy. However, preventative care is often overlooked in favor of more pressing issues, such as treating existing conditions or illnesses. This can be due to a number of reasons. Perhaps one of the most prevalent causes is a lack of understanding about what preventative care actually is. It is common for people to mistake preventative healthcare services as being a necessary evil that is simply part of life, and it’s not seen as having any real benefits beyond catching diseases at an early stage when they are easier to treat. This is why educating patients on the importance of preventative care is so important.
A common refrain is that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” and this is especially true when it comes to your health. It is incredibly important to understand that preventative care is not only an effective way to reduce your risk of disease but it is also much cheaper than treating a serious illness after the fact. It is for this reason that most insurance plans cover preventative services without charging copays or coinsurance, even if you haven’t met your yearly deductible.
Poor dental and oral health is not just a nuisance, but it has been linked to other diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes. Gum disease, for example, is a bacterial infection that can spread from the mouth to other parts of the body, potentially leading to heart disease and stroke. In addition, gum disease has been linked to preterm labor and low birth weight in pregnant women.
It is recommended that you see your dentist at least twice a year for a cleaning and examination. During your appointment, your dentist will be able to catch and prevent problems before they develop. In addition, your dentist will likely recommend other preventive care to maintain and improve your oral health, such as fluoride treatments to protect your teeth from decay, or antibiotics for certain infections.
Oral health is important for everyone, but it’s especially vital for children and pregnant women. Teaching your children the importance of brushing, flossing, and visiting their dentist regularly from an early age will help them to develop healthy habits that they can continue for the rest of their lives. In addition, pregnant women should visit their dentist frequently, as their hormones can affect the amount of saliva they produce, which in turn can lead to tooth decay or gum disease. Visit your local Torrance dentist for more details on good dental and oral hygiene.