Keeping your smile healthy and free from problems doesn’t have to be difficult.
From visiting your Independence, MO, dentist Dr. Richard Mark every six months for cleanings to making sure you floss everyday, these 
are all easy habits to adopt that can protect not just your oral health but your general health, too. Here’s why preventive dental care is important and what you can do to preserve your beautiful smile.
What is involved in preventive dental care?
Preventive dentistry consists of providing your smile with the care it needs to stay healthy and free from common problems such as gum disease and cavities. There are several ways in which to safeguard your smile from issues including:
- Brushing twice a day, once in the morning and at night
- Making sure to replace your toothbrush head once the bristles are frayed
- Flossing once a day
- Avoiding sugary foods and drinks
- Eating a healthy, balanced diet
- Limiting alcohol
- Avoiding tobacco products
- Visiting your dentist twice a year for checkups
The goal of at-home oral care is to reduce plaque buildup, which can lead to common problems like cavities and gum disease if plaque isn’t removed. Along with getting a thorough and professional dental cleaning, your six-month checkups are also a time for our dentist to examine your mouth to make sure that any dental work is in tact and doesn’t need to be replaced, as well as checking for early signs of oral cancer.
If you have dental work like fillings, crowns or implants it’s important that you treat your restorations just like real teeth, making sure to brush and floss them too. Keeping your dental work healthy, clean, and plaque-free will greatly improve its longevity.
How can my oral health impact my general health?
People don’t often realize that their oral health says a lot about their state of their overall health, as well. After all, everything is interconnected. Therefore, inflammation and other changes in your mouth may also alert our Independence, MO, family dentist to systemic and potentially serious problems like diabetes, heart disease and widespread inflammation.
This is another reason why you should visit your dentist every six months for checkups. Along with spotting dental issues we can also detect other possible health problems that might be going on.
Of course, we know that sometimes problems arise and that’s when you need a general dentist by your side in Independence, MO, that you trust. No matter whether you just need to schedule your next six-month cleaning or you’re dealing with dental problems, Dr. Mark and his team are here to help.