6 Best Practices For Good Oral Hygiene Care
As a dentist in Toronto, our mission is always to help you reach and keep your best possible oral health through diagnostic assessment, prevention, and education. Here’s how we’ll develop your personalized oral hygiene care plan based on your needs.
Assessment – First, we will start by reviewing your medical and dental history. To ensure you have proper oral hygiene care, we’ll examine your teeth for decay, visually and with radiographs. Research shows that unchecked plaque on your teeth can lead to periodontal disease – and that is a risk factor for serious illnesses, such as diabetes, lung and heart diseases, and stroke. Then, we’ll take a look at your gum tissue and assess your biting, chewing, and swallowing patterns. Finally, we’ll evaluate your dental readiness for procedures, such as cosmetic smile enhancements, and reassess your overall treatment.
Professional Cleaning – As your dental care provider, we’ll start by screening for oral cancer with clinical measurements, radiographs, and other assessment methods. We’ll clean and scale your teeth to remove pesky surface stains, plaque, and tartar. Most importantly, we’ll be able to educate you about your teeth, gums, and mouth, give you instructions about brushing and flossing, and explain treatment options (i.e., orthodontics, cosmetic procedures, etc.).
You’re probably wondering why oral hygiene care is important. Have you heard the phrase that your eyes are the window to the soul? Very similarly, your mouth can be regarded as a window to your overall health as it can show signs of nutritional deficiencies, illnesses, and general infections. Since your mouth already contains so much bacteria, if it’s not properly taken care of, it can cause serious inflammation and gum infections.
Also, your mouth is a port of entry for infection by allowing harmful bacteria to enter the bloodstream. This can lead to more inflammation in other parts of your body, such as the heart and lungs.