The best thing you can do for your gums and teeth is to invest the time and effort into preventative efforts that reduce the chances of cavities, tooth decay, and gum disease. While genetics and other factors play a vital role in the health of your gums and teeth, overwhelming evidence suggests that taking preventive measures through preventative dentistry is the best way to preserve the health of your teeth and gums for the entirety of your life.

Preventative dentistry in Lutherville, MD, includes procedures and practices aimed at stopping issues from having a chance to arise in the first place. It starts with you and your daily dental hygiene habits, including brushing and flossing twice daily, reducing the number of sugary foods you eat or drink, and taking other measures like using mouthwash or brushing right after you eat.

But while nothing replaces habits like the above, the next step for taking care of your gums is getting preventive examination and treatment from your dentist. At Green Spring Dental Care, we provide several preventive procedures. We may recommend preventative treatments depending on what we see, but you should also ask us questions about any of the below to learn more. One of the best things is that insurances often cover 100% of many treatments and practices designed to prevent more costly issues from coming up.

• With regular 6-month checkups, oral evaluations, and x-rays, we can notice anything that might be taking place, including teeth that have the potential to form cavities later on.
• Professional teeth cleanings help us give your teeth a fresh start by removing any plaque and tartar and refreshing gums.
• Fluoride treatments can help restore the outer enamel layer of teeth to reinforce against buildup and tooth decay.
• Dental sealants can be placed over the top surfaces of molars to prevent food from getting trapped inside biting grooves, which prevents bacteria from building up and causing cavities.

Many of such preventive dentistry practices as these can be done by anyone in regular appointments. That is not to say that everyone should get these. Not everyone feels it is necessary to do absolutely everything to protect their teeth, and they don’t need to, especially if they are brushing and flossing twice daily with good technique. But some patients, due to genetic influences, dental history, and other factors, can be more predisposed to cavities. As you see us more and more, we can give you our professional opinion on different options.

What You Can do at Home

Dental hygiene isn’t just about putting the time in but using the correct technique and regular practices. Below are some pointers that can help you.

• Don’t skip brushing the two full minutes. It can be easy in a rush to cut your brushing time short. An electric toothbrush with a timer is a great tool to help keep you honest.
• Be thorough with your daily flossing habit and ensure you get every space on both sides of the tooth.
• Use mouthwash after brushing and give your mouth a refresh by killing the harmful bacteria and germs that build up throughout the day.
• Consider lessening your intake of acidic or sugary foods. Even something like using a straw for drinking soda lets the sugar bypass your teeth entirely.
• Be smart with how you chew hard foods to avoid cracks or chips. Strong teeth are less likely to break, so if you’re doing everything else right, you should be okay, but it’s good to have smart chewing habits nonetheless.
• Wear mouth guards when participating in contact sports to protect your teeth from blows to the face and jaw.