Freedom from Tooth Troubles

You probably don’t appreciate beautiful healthy teeth unless they aren’t, right? Let’s take a moment to appreciate our freedom from decay and discoloration. There are three simple ways that you can experience and encourage others in finding their ultimate healthy smile.

According to a 2012 study published by the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions there are some alarming statistics about Americans who have experienced too many tooth troubles.¹

• One fourth of adults in the U.S. ages 65 and older have lost all of their teeth.
• Bad dental health impacts over-all health and increases the risk for diabetes, heart disease, and poor birth outcomes.
• There were over 830,000 visits to emergency rooms across the country for preventable dental conditions in 2009 – a 16% increase since 2006.
• Almost 60% of kids ages 5 to 17 have cavities – making tooth decay five times more common than asthma among children of this age.

While there are dismal statistics about poor oral hygiene, simple steps can be taken to ensure your smile is healthy.

1. Use fluoride. 

There are two primary benefits to using fluoride regularly. It helps strengthen tooth enamel, stops and sometimes even reverses tooth decay. Besides being readily available in common oral hygiene products such as toothpaste and mouth wash, many children and adults have benefited from their tap water containing an ideal amount of fluoride.  Utah is ranked #38 in America, with 54% of its 2.2 million citizens receiving fluoridation in their drinking water.² Fluoride distribution in the water is believed by the CDC to be one of the ten greatest public health achievements of the 21st century.³

2. Visit your dentist regularly for cleanings

A typical cleaning appointment at Elevated Dental is just over an hour, maybe less. Twice a year, taking time out of your schedule to have a thorough washing of your teeth and examination can ensure that your pearly whites stay that way for years to come. You can prevent extensive treatment plans by having your teeth cleaned regularly.

3. Be sure to take care of the daily details.

Dr. Holmberg often says, “You only need to floss the teeth that you want to keep.” Rather than letting bacteria grow and fester in the grooves and spaces between your teeth, which ultimately causes tooth decay, floss your teeth. Then spend two minutes in the morning and two minutes at night gently brushing using a fluoride toothpaste.  The best combat to the large problems come in small, daily doses of personal hygiene. If you are a parent, be sure that your children continue to brush daily. Creating healthy habits early can remove a lifetime of troubled teeth.

1. http://www.sanders.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/DENTALCRISIS.REPORT.pdf
2. http://fluoridealert.org/researchers/states/utah/
3. CDC. “Ten Great Public Health Achievements—United States, 1900-1999.”Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Vol. 48, No. 12, 241; April 2, 1999.