Dental infections and disease not only affect the appearance of your smile but, left untreated, can seriously compromise your oral health. It is vitally important to be proactive with your at-home oral hygiene routine, otherwise you may ultimately put yourself at risk for losing teeth as well as jawbone density. This can lead to complications that result in complex and costly dental treatment.
Prevention is the key to maintaining a beautiful healthy smile. If you practice diligent dental care you can save yourself the cost and embarrassment of dental disease. The team at our Dallas, TX Dentist office focuses on patient education as one of the most effective ways to help prevent cavities and gum disease.
As important as persona oral hygiene is, however, you may not be aware that even the most conscientious brushing and flossing alone is not enough to keep your smile healthy. Routine at-home oral hygiene is necessary, but it must be paired with professional dental cleanings.
Your teeth may feel clean, but only a professional cleaning at our Dallas, TX Dentist office can thoroughly remove plaque – a sticky bacterial film that coats enamel and oral tissue as we eat, drink, and speak. Flossing and brushing are useful at removing plaque build-up but cannot eliminate it completely.
Plaque that is not removed with at-home brushing and flossing eventually hardens into a substance called tartar. Without professional cleanings, tartar continues to build up on teeth, causing dental decay, gum disease, and eventually tooth loss.
The best way to ensure your dental health is to maintain a proactive at-home cleaning schedule (to reduce daily plaque build-up) and see your dentist for semi-annual professional cleanings to remove tartar and give you a “clean slate” for brushing and flossing. By scheduling routine visits to your dental professional you give yourself and your family the best possible chance for optimal oral health.