Proper dental hygiene is absolutely worth the effort for Bethlehem, PA residents. With just a few minutes a day and typically insurance-covered preventative dental visits, dental patients can save themselves pain, embarrassment, and money.
What Is Proper Dental Hygiene?
For those looking to pursue proper dental hygiene, it is essential to brush and floss your teeth daily. Use an anti-cavity toothpaste with an active ingredient like fluoride. Get the best possible brush you can and make sure to swap it for a new one every few months. This preserves bristle integrity and keeps the brush fresh.
If flossing is difficult, look for a new variety of slim floss or a flossing aid tool that holds the floss taut. Being sure to remove food from between teeth prevents decay.
Visit your family dentist at least twice a year for regular visits, or more if you have early stages of gingivitis.
Save Yourself the Pain
The main goal of dental hygiene is to prevent decay and gum inflammation. Both conditions can result in pain, unpleasant breath, and bleeding.
If any of these conditions are left too long, they can lead to further dental procedures that may be very uncomfortable such as root canals, extractions, implants, and bridges.
Prevent Embarrassment
While no one should ever feel ashamed of their teeth, preventable dental issues like bad breath or visible decay on the front teeth can be a shot to the confidence of many. Staying up on hygiene practices to eliminate decay, gingivitis, and plaque build-ups can improve your dental health and make you feel more confident.
Regular dental visits will catch problems before they start, like decay or gingivitis. This way you can address the look of your teeth and the cause of any bad breath before those around you notice.
Avoid High Dental Care Costs
Dental patients are often shocked when it comes to the prices of specialized dental procedures. For instance, dental insurance may cover a root canal. If not, the bill likely lands around $1500 per tooth. Similarly, reconstructive crowns that follow up a root canal may only have partial coverage from insurance. These can easily cost $1000 out of pocket.
While these costs are well worth the price to have functioning, pain-free teeth, these are avoidable costs. Keeping up on proper dental hygiene can prevent decay and the cascade of interventions that inevitably follow.
Questions about how best to stay up on your proper dental hygiene? Get in touch with Dr. Hersh at Advanced Prosthodontics to provide better care for your teeth. Make an appointment today by calling (610) 865-4222.