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What You Should Know About Dental Care

Dental care is a check on oral and dental health to keep your gums and teeth healthy.. Since gums and teeth are organs that can deteriorate with increasing age, the food you eat, and teeth-cleaning habits, oral and dental health check-ups are always required. In most cases, there are the following main types of dental care :

  1. General dental check-up
    It is an initial oral and dental health diagnosis for a dentist to plan the proper treatment. A dentist may ask about your oral and dental health and examine your teeth, gums, and mouth. In some cases, additional dental x-rays may also be required.
  2. Dental scaling and polishing
    Despite taking good care of my gums and teeth, daily eating habits can cause plaque on your teeth. These plaques are caused by bacteria and can cause tooth enamel erosion. Plaque cannot be removed by brushing your teeth. If plaque isn't regularly removed, it will cause tooth decay, gum disease, and scurvy. Therefore, it's best to see your dentist every six months for scaling and polishing.
  3. Dental fillings and tooth extraction
    In case of tooth decay, fillings will be used to restore the condition of the teeth. A dentist removes the decayed tooth tissue, then cleans and fills the space with a filling material to prevent bacteria from eating the dentin and damaging it. But in the case of severe tooth decay in which the tooth's nerve is damaged, wisdom tooth, accidents with a tooth that a dentist cannot repair or oral preparation for orthodontics, a dentist may also consider tooth extraction.

Furthermore, there are several types of dental care, such as cosmetic dentistry, dental veneers, teeth whitening, orthodontics, prosthodontics (dental implants, dental crowns, dental bridges or dentures), root canal treatment, periodontal treatment (gum treatment), and pediatric dentistry

Benefits of Dental Care

Dental care is to maintain oral and dental health and it results in the following benefits:

  • Reduced risk of gum disease
  • Prevent tooth decay
  • Stop bad breath.
  • Healthy gums and teeth
  • Keep your bright smile

When Should You Get Dental Care?

There is no age limit for dental care because oral and dental health is essential for chewing. Therefore, you should see your dentist every three to six months or when you notice an abnormality, such as

  • Bad breath
  • Swollen gums
  • Toothache or sensitive teeth
  • Scurvy

Those with these symptoms should visit a dentist for early treatment to reduce the risk of tooth loss.

Preparation Before Getting Dental Care

Before dental treatment, you should brush your teeth properly so that there is no food stuck in your teeth. It also reduces bad breath from food or smoking, and you should prepare for a history taking before treatment.

  • Inform the dentist if you have any underlying disease, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, etc.
  • You should inform the dentist if you are pregnant or think you might be pregnant.
  • People who have dentures should bring them so the dentist can check their condition.
  • People who are undergoing chemotherapy should get a doctor's approval before treatment.
  • Inform the dentist of your drug allergies information or if you are taking medications that affect blood clotting.
  • Get enough sleep and eat normally.

Dental Aftercare

Dental aftercare can be classified according to the following treatment forms.

  1. General dental check-up
    People with good oral health will probably need to attend only once every 12 to 24 months and should always take care of their dental health by brushing and flossing, but those with more problems will need check-ups more often.
  2. Dental scaling and polishing
    It's perfectly normal to have tooth sensitivity after a scale or polish, but it's usually only temporary. You should avoid drinking water often and refrain from sour, sweet or cold food during the first 2-3 days, including refraining from smoking because it will cause tartar on your teeth.
  3. Dental fillings and tooth extraction
    • After a dental filling, you should avoid hard, chewy, or sticky foods, which may cause the filling material to break. It would be best to refrain from drinking tea, coffee, and smoking, as it causes the filling material to change color.
    • After tooth extraction, your dentist will place a piece of gauze over the extraction site and ask you to close down with firm, steady pressure and replace the gauze with a new one if the bleeding has not stopped. Do not suck, cut the wound, or spit the blood out; this helps slow bleeding so a blood clot can form. Initially, after tooth extraction, you should consume only soft foods and liquid and apply pain relievers 1 tablet every 4 - 6 hours. If there is swelling, apply a cold compress.

Besides, you should also brush your teeth regularly, use mouthwash or dental floss, return to the dentist as scheduled, and follow the instructions strictly.

Recovery after getting dental care

Most of the time, it will take only 1 - 2 days to recover. But be careful about the food you consume as it may affect the material used in the dental treatment or cause slow-healing wounds.

Initially, you should always care for your oral and dental health by brushing your teeth regularly. Use fluoride toothpaste to prevent tooth decay. Brush your teeth properly and use dental floss to clean between the teeth that the toothbrush can't reach. That's all you have to do to have good oral and dental health for a long time.

Contraindications for Dental Care

We usually have oral and dental check-ups every three to six months. Still, those with the following congenital diseases should inform the dentist first, especially the group of diseases that are easy to bleed and difficult to stop bleeding, people with diabetes whose wounds can take longer to heal, and a group of diseases that can cause seizures or shortness of breath during treatment, so that a dentist can have a proper treatment plan to prevent risks and reduce harms during a dental procedure.

  • Thrombocytopenia
  • Heart disease
  • Diabetes
  • High blood pressure
  • Kidney disease
  • Asthma
  • Epilepsy in those undergoing heart valve replacement surgery

Who Should Get Dental Care?

Dental care is for everyone of all ages because it takes care of oral health. With healthy gums and teeth, you can eat good food for good health.