Holding onto your teeth makes a huge difference to both your general health and quality of life. 81% of Australian adults still have some natural teeth over the age of 65. Keeping your teeth is definitely achievable, so you can keep chewing your steak into your 90’s! Even holding onto a few teeth can help anchor a denture in place making eating easier than with full dentures.
Oral hygiene is the most important part of keeping oral disease at bay. Poor cleaning leads to decay and gum disease which are the major causes of tooth loss. It is important to brush twice a day for two minutes. You need a soft toothbrush to be able to get right up to the gum line with circular, up and down movements- no need to scrub too hard, plaque is only a double cream consistency. On top of brushing your need to clean between your teeth at least once a day. Using floss if you have tight gaps and interdental brushes (such as Piksters). Diet also plays a factor in dental disease. If you are a bit of a sweet tooth, you are more likely to get tooth decay. Every time you have sugar, your mouth is acidic for 30 minutes afterwards. So if you can limit the number of ‘acid attacks’ on your teeth in one day, you can help prevent decay.
It is important to visit your dentist regularly for check-ups. It has been shown that adults who visit the dentist once a year or more have fewer missing teeth than average. The advantages of regularly attending are that your dentist can let you know if there is a spot you are missing on your cleaning and help improve your oral hygiene. We can spot cavities and gum disease at the early stages meaning we can treat before the problem gets big, painful and expensive.
Already lost some teeth? Don’t despair there are plenty of options to replace teeth from different types of dentures and bridges to implants that are almost like real teeth. At Ocean Breeze dental we try and save teeth whenever possible but we are also good at replacing teeth, giving you all the information for every available option for you to decide what is best for you.
Dr Samantha Ho
