What is Oral Home Care?
People who visited the dentist regularly as children probably have vivid memories of receiving instructions from their dentist instructing them how to properly floss and brush. This is called oral home care. Oral home care is the kind of care that people perform on their teeth, tongue, and gums at home. Examples of oral home care include brushing after every meal, at least twice per day, along with flossing on a regular basis. While this kind of care is enough for most people, some people may be asked to perform additional oral home care. For example, many people have braces that need additional care. People with braces will need to clean under, around, and through their brackets to prevent cavities from forming underneath the braces. Some people with braces also have a device called a WaterPik that shoots jets of water at the braces to knock off persistent crumbs of food. Often, people need to wear a retainer after their braces are removed. This is another example of oral home care.
What should Patients Expect with Oral Home Care?
It is important for people to establish a healthy habit of proper oral home care. This includes brushing regularly, flossing often, and performing other dental care if their mouth requires it. People who perform proper oral home care should expect to see the results of their hard work reflected when they visit the dentist. People who perform proper dental care at home should have a clean bill of health on most routine dental visits. For example, people who don’t floss on a regular basis might wind up with cavities between their teeth because the bristles of the toothbrush aren’t able to reach into those crevices. If people don’t wear their retainer on a regular schedule, their teeth will start to shift back to the positions that they were in before the braces were placed. If patients follow the instructions for oral home care provided by their dentist, most of these problems can be avoided.
What are the Goals of Oral Home Care?
The entire purpose of oral home care is to prevent problems from developing down the road. Proper brushing and flossing can prevent cavities and gum disease from forming. Wearing the retainer at night can prevent teeth from shifting out of position. It is always easier to prevent a problem from starting than to fix one that is already present. Therefore, it is important for patients to floss and brush on a regular basis. Patients will see the results when they visit the dentist and learn that they don’t have any cavities.
More than Just Preventative Dentistry
While preventative dentistry is a successful strategy for most patients, some dental problems are simply unavoidable. Patients who are looking for a Wellington dentist should contact Dr. Sam S. Sadati with the Sadati Center for Aesthetic Dentistry located in Wellington, FL. Dr. Sadati has experience dealing with a wide variety of dental problems and would be happy to help everyone. Call today to schedule an appointment.
