Having a dental check-up is essential to keep your teeth and gums healthy. This is especially true if you are at risk for developing dental diseases such as gum disease and oral cancer.
Keeping your teeth and gums healthy.
Keeping your teeth and gums healthy can help you enjoy your food and avoid diseases and other health problems. There are several ways to keep your mouth healthy, including practicing oral hygiene and eating a healthy diet.
The best way to keep your teeth and gums healthy is to ensure they get the proper nutrition. You can do this by eating various foods and drinking plenty of water. In addition, choosing foods that are high in vitamins, minerals and fiber can help your teeth and gums stay healthy.
The best way to clean your teeth and gums is to brush and floss them daily. This helps remove plaque and food particles that can lead to cavities. Flossing also reduces the risk of gum disease.
Eating fruits and vegetables can also help keep your teeth and gums healthy. These foods contain antioxidant vitamins that can help protect your teeth and gums from harmful bacteria. Also, eating raw vegetables can help clean plaque off your teeth.
Drinking lots of water can also help flush away acids and sugars. Also, avoid carbonated beverages. They can wear away at your tooth enamel.
In addition, you should also brush your teeth in the morning and at night. Many experts recommend brushing for at least two minutes each time. You should also use mouthwash daily.
Assessing your risk for dental disease
Performing risk assessments can help dental office happy Valley Oregon professionals monitor patients’ dental health and eliminate the risk of developing dental diseases. Risk assessments are a framework for guidelines based on scientifically validated criteria. They can also provide legal protection for dental practices.
The Wellness Dentistry Network offers a dental risk assessment that considers the patient’s age, gender, and social involvement. It also factors in a patient’s oral habits and hereditary factors. The tool uses a series of questions to assess the risk of gum disease, oral cancer, and tooth decay.
The American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) believes that the clinical use of risk assessment will be part of every periodic dental examination. They suggest that educating providers at all levels about risk-based care will help overcome the significant barriers to adoption. The dental community should also work to develop innovative methods for collecting patient data and develop simple electronic tools to motivate patients to monitor their oral health.
One of the significant challenges to adopting risk assessment tools is the need for studies. Therefore, the dental community should explore new payment models incentivizing risk assessment. These new models should help reduce dental diseases and their costs.
The Cochrane Collaboration is a worldwide not-for-profit organization catalogs studies from around the world. It also helps facilitate evidence-based care.
Looking for signs of oral cancer
A simple way to detect cancer early on is to conduct an oral cancer screening as part of a routine dental examination. An early cancer diagnosis can mean a higher chance of a cure and a reduced chance of progressing to more severe stages.
During an oral cancer screening, the dentist may examine your neck, the roof of your mouth, teeth, gums, and lips. He or she may also ask you about your history of smoking or alcohol consumption and whether you have a history of cancer.
The dentist may also use technology to check for symptoms of oral cancer. These include changes in how teeth fit together and the appearance of red patches on the mouth. You should tell your dentist or primary care physician if you have any symptoms.
Some of the most common signs of oral cancer are red patches, slow-healing sores in the mouth, and white patches. If your dentist detects any of these symptoms, you may need to come back for a more thorough exam.
Other symptoms include difficulty swallowing, sore mouth, difficulty moving the jaw, and an upset that bleeds. If you experience these symptoms, you should contact your dentist or primary care physician to determine the appropriate action.
The dentist may also recommend undergoing a more comprehensive oral cancer screening. This includes a test for toluidine blue dye, which helps to highlight areas of your mouth that are at increased risk for cancer.
