If you're like most people, you believe that appearance matters for professional as well as personal matters. You probably also value function as well as form—after all, a mouthful of straight, gleaming white teeth won't do you much good if they perform poorly in matters such as chewing your food. If all or most of your teeth are missing or decayed to the extent that your dentist thinks they should be removed, you may be considering dentures.
No matter what your age, it is important to take good care of your teeth and gums. Maintaining a solid oral hygiene routine can help you avoid cavities and other oral health problems. Even if you already take good care of your oral health, there is always room for improvement.
Here are a few ways you can improve your oral hygiene routine.
Brush Your Tongue
Brushing your teeth and gums may not be enough to remove plaque and bacteria.
Taking your child to the dentist isn't always an easy task. Even if your child hasn't had any problems with the dentist before, that doesn't mean that they won't all of a sudden start being worried about going to the dentist. This is especially true if they have friends who are scared of the dentist and who want to share those fears. If your child is afraid of the dentist, that will just make getting them there harder, and the fight to get them there could even reinforce their fear or anxiety.
Are you missing a tooth and thinking of replacing it with a dental bridge? If so, you may not have known that there are actually four ways to install a dental bridge. While you may not be able to pick from all of them, it's important to know what all the options are before moving forward
Traditional
A traditional bridge is what you typically think of when envisioning a dental bridge.
Most major orthodontic work requires two phases. The first phase is the braces, which actively move your teeth into the proper position. The second phase is the retainer wear. The retainer is designed to keep the recently aligned teeth in place until you build up sufficient bone mass to "lock" your teeth into permanent alignment. When it comes to retainers, there are three main options.
Lingual Retainer
Lingual retainers are also sometimes called permanent retainers because you can not remove them without a visit to the dentist.
