Standard dental practice

FOR decades, the major emphasis in dentistry has been on the avoidance of dental caries. Now dental professionals are realising they need to focus on preventative maintenance of gum disease as well. The techniques exist to eliminate virtually all local factors (plaque and calculus) responsible for gum disease. Therefore, it is not only prudent but crucial for countries like Guyana, whose foreign exchange earnings are inherently linked to national development, to emphasise prevention of oral diseases.

Good oral health requires a team effort between yourself, your dentist and his staff. In order for it to be successful, you must realise that only you can make the effort a success. The outcome will depend on how well you clean your teeth and gingiva (gums) each day. A healthy diet is also important.

Home care involves the use of a toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash and floss . Good home care is the backbone of preventing dental disease. One should never forget this statement because it is an important tenet. Brushing and flossing are the two primary methods of providing good home care for you and your children. Brushing with an approved toothpaste can be of significant value when used in a conscientiously applied programme of oral hygiene. The “programme” is one you must orchestrate in conjunction with your dentist.
Your dentist should provide you with regular dental check-ups (taking X rays when necessary ) to detect decay and periodontal disease. That is why, in this author’s dental clinic, check-ups are free after the patient’s first visit. If there are any weak points in your home care, your dentist can intervene and correct the situation before it gets to a point of urgency. His intervention involves recognising and treating problems that you are not trained to see. He or she provides a thorough cleaning of your teeth on a regular basis to prevent periodontal disease. Often, pit-and-fissue sealants are placed on children’s teeth to help prevent decay. In conjunction with this care, the dentist or one of his staff members will provide you with instructions on how to foster your home care. Once you begin active home care, the staff will serve as a resource for you if you have questions or problems.
In general, dental examinations are usually done every six to 12 months. Some dentists determine this based on your DMF index – a way of counting how many of your teeth are decayed (D), missing (M), or filled (F). It also depends on how quickly you build up calculus (tartar).

Studies show that there are two myths that commonly lead to a lapse in home care. Patients who have been successful in reversing a periodontal problem with a preventative-care programme sometimes believe that some permanent immunity has been created. In addition, some patients who have completed periodontal therapy may feel they have been ‘cured’ with no possibility for recurrence. Both of these beliefs are false.
When dental professionals focus on prevention, it allows periodontal disease to be intercepted with relatively simple procedures. This reduces the need for complicated treatment options caused by delayed diagnosis.

Today, preventative dentistry is considered a standard of dental practice. It is the primary way to ensure that good dental health and quality care are maintained over a lifetime. If preventative education is minimised or omitted, most dental professionals would consider this substandard care. A healthy mouth projects an attractive smile that is noticed by all. A person who takes care of his teeth and gums reflects a person who values himself or herself.

Your eating patterns and food choices are important factors in helping to reduce caries (decay) in your teeth. The reason is that everything you eat passes through your mouth. When you eat foods that contain carbohydrates (sugars and starches), the bacteria in plaque produce acids that can destroy tooth enamel. After repeated attacks, the tooth enamel begins to break down, forming a cavity.

It is important to remember that the acids in foods that contain carbs attack your teeth for 20 minutes or more after you eat. The more often you eat foods such as hard candies, breath mints, or cough drops, all of which stay in the mouth for extended periods of time. Foods that contain carbs are less harmful if they are eaten with a meal because the saliva production is increased at this time. Saliva helps to rinse food from the mouth. In the final analysis, oral health depends on the effective control of dental plaque.

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