Prevention is the best medicine. Although modern dentistry can address any oral health issue more effectively and efficiently than ever before, it’s still better to never need that procedure in the first place. That’s where preventative dental care comes in.
Your Mississauga dentist has an important role in preventing oral health issues. Visiting us every six months for a routine checkup and cleaning gives us the time to do our jobs, safeguarding your smile for decades to come!
What is preventative dentistry?
Based on the name alone, you likely already have a pretty good idea what preventive dentistry is. It’s the range of practices aimed at preventing oral health issues by keeping teeth and gums healthy.
Preventative dental care includes your at-home oral hygiene habits and the professional care you receive from your Mississauga dentist. The choices you make every day can make the difference between a cavity and a mouth full of healthy teeth. For example, you should brush twice a day, floss, eat healthy, and drink enough water.
However, you can’t do this alone. You also need the expertise (and tools) of an experienced and knowledgeable dental team. Ultimately, you and your dentist work together in tandem to ensure your long-term oral health.
Regular oral exams, professional cleanings, and routine X-rays are crucial components of preventative dentistry. Your dentist has a vital role to play, so make sure you attend all of your appointments at Bristol Dental Clinic. Skipping even just one check-up can give tooth decay and gingivitis the upper hand.
Components of Preventative Dentistry
1. Regular dental check-ups
Regular dental visits are the most important part of professional preventive dental care. After all, these appointments allow your dentist to prevent, identify, and address oral health issues in your mouth. If you neglect to visit your Mississauga dental clinic for a check-up, we can’t perform any preventive dentistry.
A core part of a routine dental appointment is the examination. Your mouth, gums, and teeth are examined for potential or ongoing oral health conditions. We’re looking for signs of tooth decay, gingivitis, gum disease, damage, and oral cancer. Additionally, we take X-rays to reveal problems invisible to the naked eye.
2. Professional cleanings
Brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing once daily are crucial steps for combatting the buildup of plaque, tartar, and bacteria. Nonetheless, some plaque and tartar accumulation often occur in between dental appointments. Fortunately, your Mississauga dentist is ready to step into the fray.
Plaque eventually hardens into tartar, which is impossible to remove without professional dental tools. If the tartar is not removed, you can develop cavities or gum disease.
3. Fluoride treatments
Fluoride is very important for modern dental care. This mineral strengthens the tooth enamel, making it more resistant to decay. That’s why fluoride treatments are often administered during regular dental check-ups, either in the form of a concentrated fluoride gel, foam, or varnish.
You can also inquire about an in-office fluoride treatment that offers an extra layer of defence against decay. Such treatment is particularly important for patients with a heightened risk for cavities.
4. Sealants
Dental sealants shield your back teeth from food particles and disease-causing bacteria. This reduces the risk of cavities in those vulnerable (and often neglected) areas. Many well-meaning patients end up missing their back teeth during their at-home oral hygiene regime, so sealants can have a huge impact on your health.
Sealants are thin, protective coatings that are “painted” over the chewing surfaces of the back teeth. The material is cured and hardened, offering significant protection.
5. Education
Preventative dentistry is about more than tools and technology; it also includes education. After all, the first step in taking care of your teeth and gums is knowing how to do so. Knowledge is power—and this is just as true when it comes to your oral health as it is in any other area of life.
When you visit Bristol Dental Clinic in Mississauga, we encourage you to ask as many questions as you like. Our dental team, including dentists and hygienists, also provide guidance on proper oral hygiene techniques, such as effective brushing and flossing. We can offer advice on other lifestyle choices that affect your mouth, like diet, alcohol, and smoking.
4 Benefits of Preventative Dentistry
1. Identify developing problems before they become serious
Early detection of dental issues is absolutely fundamental to maintaining oral health. Dental problems do not go away on their own. They require effective—and prompt—treatment from a dental professional. It’s easier to treat minor problems than severe or complex ones.
For example, a small cavity can be treated with a small filling, which requires one appointment and no recovery time. If left untreated, however, that cavity can worsen into a serious infection that requires a root canal.
2. Prevent intensive, invasive, and expensive treatments
Treating severe and complex oral health issues is a much more intensive process. The treatments are more invasive, can require multiple appointments, come with longer recovery times, and have a heftier price tag. Therefore, it’s in your best interest to prevent problems from occurring in the first place or, at the very least, address them quickly if they do occur.
For instance, gingivitis (early-stage gum disease) does not require invasive treatments and can be managed fairly easily. However, it can progress to full gum disease or advanced periodontitis, which may require surgery.
3. Reduce your risk of serious dental problems
Without preventive dental care, those minor dental issues can skyrocket into full-blown oral health conditions. You are at a greater risk for severe infections, gum disease, advanced periodontitis, and tooth loss. Visiting your Mississauga dentist regularly helps prevent these conditions from happening in the first place.
4. Save money and time
Serious oral health issues require serious treatments. These treatments cost far more than a routine dental check-up. To make matters worse, the condition probably could have been prevented simply with regular appointments at Bristol Dental Clinic.
Since you are required to rest and recover after many of these procedures, there is also a time cost. You’ll be stuck in bed when you could have been out and about, living your life, or going to work.
Schedule an Appointment With a Dentist at Bristol Dental Clinic in Mississauga
Bristol Dental Clinic specializes in family dentistry in Mississauga. We offer a range of high-quality services, from emergency dental services to cosmetic dentistry.
Using the latest technology, we provide the highest standards of dental care, safety, and comfort to our patients. Whenever you visit us, you’ll be blown away by the attentiveness and expertise of our staff!
To book an appointment with a dentist in Mississauga, call Bristol Dental Clinic at 866-673-2109 or contact us here.
