The 3 Dental Habits That Will Prolong The Health Of Your Teeth

The health of your teeth can be affected by a lot of things from what you eat to your lifestyle. If you want to keep your teeth healthy, there are some dental habits that you need to know about. These habits should be incorporated into your daily dental care routine. To find a quality dentist in Vancouver Washington look no further than Wendel Dental.

Regularly Brush Your Teeth

This is a dental habit that we have all heard about before. Being told to brush your teeth is something that starts when you are a child and something that your dentist will constantly remind you about. However, it is also one of the easiest ways to improve the health of your teeth.

Brushing will remove bacteria in your mouth as well as plaque which causes tooth decay. It is recommended that you brush your teeth after each meal to remove food particles and sugars from your teeth. You should also brush your teeth before bed because the hours spent sleeping allow the bacteria to multiply and attach your tooth enamel.

While regular brushing is important, you also need to ensure that you are brushing correctly. It is recommended that you use a soft-bristle brush and apply gentle pressure. This will ensure that you do not damage your gums and cause gingival injuries.

Use The Right Toothpaste

While the act of brushing your teeth is important, you also need to use the right toothpaste. If you have any dental problems such as sensitive teeth, you should talk to your dentists about which toothpaste to use. There are some prescription toothpastes that can be used for sensitive teeth, but you may be able to use the over the counter options. Regardless of the toothpaste that you use, if you have sensitive teeth, you need to avoid whitening toothpastes.

When buying toothpaste, you also need to look for the ADA seal of acceptance. Toothpastes with this seal come with a guarantee of meeting the American Dental Associations requirements. However, you should not use this seal as the only criteria when buying toothpaste as the program is voluntary and many top brands do not participate.

Get Into Flossing

The last habit that you need to know about is flossing. As with brushing, this is a habit that we are often told about, but a lot of people ignore. It is important to remember that your teeth have 5 sides and brushing will only clean 3 of them.

In order to clean the other 2 sides, you need to floss. This will only take a few minutes and can easily be included in your morning routine. As with brushing, you should floss after meals to remove food particles from between your teeth. You should also look for a floss that is right for you as there are a lot of options on the market.

There are many dental habits that help improve and prolong the health of your teeth. Brushing and flossing regularly are the most important, but you also need to use the right toothpaste. If you are unsure about brushing techniques or the toothpaste you should use, you need to talk to your dentist.

What To Look For When Choosing A Quality Dentist

If you need to find a new dentist, you need to ensure that you choose the right one. There are a lot of quality dentists out there, but there are also some who will not provide you with the service you need. If you feel overwhelmed with your search, there are some points that you should focus on.

Their Reputation

One of the first points to consider when looking for a dentist is their reputation. There are a few ways that you can look up the reputation of the dentists and their practice. This is something that you need to take the time to do.

Online reviews are a good place to start and you need to carefully read through them. You should also check the state dental board. All dentists are monitored by the dental board and their website will list any claims made against them. Ideally, you want a dentist that does not have any claims against them with the board.

Find Out More About Them

Before you book your first appointment, you need to find out more about the dentist. You can often get a lot of this information from their website. However, if you are unable to get what you need from their website, you should call their office.

The information that you need to know includes where they graduated and how long they have been in practice. If the practice has other staff, you need to find out how long they have been with the dentist and what their qualifications are. You do not want unqualified people handling any part of the dental process.

Meeting Your Needs

The type of dentistry that the practice offers will also need to be considered. If you are looking for a general dentist, you need to look for a practice that offers this. However, if you have a specific dental condition that you need treated, you should look for a dentist that can handle this.

While the type of dentistry on offer is important, you also need to consider how the practice meets your other needs. There are some people who want to be able to book their appointments online while others are happy to call the practice. Accessibility is another consideration and you need to ensure that you can get an appointment when you need to and easily get to the practice.

The Costs

While the cost of your treatment should not be the only thing you look at, it is something that you have to consider. This is particularly important when it comes to your insurance. You need to ensure that the dentist accepts your insurance before you book an appointment.

If you need extensive dental work, you also need to find out if the dentist offers a payment plan. Dentists should be transparent in their pricing and you should never book an appointment with a dentist that is not.

There are many factors to consider when choosing a quality dentist. You need to check their reputation and ensure they have no complaints against them. They should also meet your needs while accepting your insurance and having payment terms that you can work with.

Techniques Used By Dentists To Help Phobic Patients Manage

For someone who is very anxious about visiting a dentist, just getting to the dentist’s office can feel like an accomplishment. Even though this feeling can be overcome after some gentle coaxing, a person who consciously or unconsciously avoids necessary dental work has developed a phobia that requires help from an experienced dentist. Many dentists specialize in treating patients who have dental phobia.

Stepping inside an office is so traumatic for some phobics that they’d rather watch their teeth rot. Unfortunately, many of these feelings develop after a bad dental experience during childhood. Ironically, many phobics know their fears are irrational. Still, the ability to get past the panic symptoms is harder to overcome than the actual thoughts about what will happen. These panic symptoms can include:

  • Uncontrollable shaking
  • Heart palpations
  • Fainting
  • Feelings of nausea

Most of these symptoms are related to fearing lack of control in the situation. A great dentist is very familiar with these symptoms and the fear of dentists and knows several ways to help you manage or even overcome your fear.

Below are some tips used by caring dentists:

1. Let the dentist know on the phone before your visit that you have a fear of dentists. A sympathetic dentist will then work at your pace, whereby the first visit is for chatting not for surgical treatment.

2. A good dentist’s practices a “painless practice” using discomfort-reducing techniques such as topicals like anesthetic gels and air abrasion units.

3. Several techniques can be used during treatment to ease anxiety and ease the pain. Inhalation sedation, oral sedation, general anesthesia, hypnosis, and psychotherapy are just a few techniques. Alpha-Stim SCS is a new relaxation practice that allows the patient to send an electric wave current through the brain from a hand-held control box connected to ear clips.

4. Knowing that fear is a healthy survival mechanism is often the key to putting a phobic’s fear into perspective.

5. In many ways, the knowledge about what is actually going to take place rather than presumptions about potential pain is very much a sigh of relief. It’s no surprise that if all someone hears is “If you don’t behave, I’ll take you to the dentist!” then that person soon builds preconceived notions that the dentist must be a bad place.

6. A “painless practice” is the objective of a great dental practice. These dentists practice discomfort-reducing techniques. Thus, a patient can choose from several topicals like anesthetic gels and air abrasion units.

7. Just as you should feel comfortable to ask as many questions as necessary, a dentist too should ask you questions. Questions like “How are you doing?” or “Are you feeling this?” allow the dentist to know how fast to proceed or if you need a few minutes. No compassionate dentist will proceed if you’re feeling pain.

8. Follow up like a dental office’s phone call or painkillers like ibuprofen or long-lasting anesthesia let the patient know that the dentist cares.