As a family dentist in Longmont, our team at Twin Peaks Family & Cosmetic Dentistry wants every patient to enjoy the very best oral health possible. While it can be easy to take your oral health for granted until a toothache or dental emergency brings you into our Longmont dentist office, a growing amount of research has found compelling links between our oral and overall health. Studies have found that individuals suffering from dental decay and disease have a significantly higher risk of developing a range of chronic health conditions that include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, dementia, stroke, arthritis and oral cancer. While researchers remain uncertain about what exactly links these oral and systemic health conditions, the need to protect our oral health has become perfectly clear.
While practicing these daily oral hygiene routines will greatly lower your risk of dental disease, enjoying a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums means scheduling regular dental exams and cleanings with Dr. Butler at Twin Peaks Family & Cosmetic Dentistry.
To enjoy a lifetime of quality oral health, it's vital that every patient practice quality oral hygiene at home by following these steps:
Brushing helps to remove plaque -a sticky biofilm comprised of harmful oral bacteria and food particles - from the surface of your teeth. Plaque produces corrosive substances that slowly erode enamel, the hard outer layer of your teeth that protects the delicate roots inside. If plaque is allowed to remain on the surface of your teeth, it contributes to the development of cavities and gum disease. The American Dental Association recommends brushing twice a day - ideally once in the morning and again at night - for at least two minutes each time. By committing to brushing twice daily, you significantly decrease your risk of dental disease and improve your long-term oral health.
Flossing helps to remove plaque and food from areas of your mouth the bristles of a toothbrush are not designed to reach - between your teeth and below the gum line. Plaque can cause just as much havoc on your long-term oral health in these areas as when allow to build up on the surface of your teeth. In fact, the most common place for cavities to develop in the mouth is actually between teeth. Despite the importance of flossing, studies conducted by the ADA have found that fewer than 40 percent of adults floss daily, with 10 percent saying they never floss at all. If you want to enjoy quality oral health and fresher breath, you need to take time to floss at least once a day.
Using an oral rinse as part of your daily oral hygiene routine adds an additional layer of protection against the harmful effects of oral bacteria. Rinsing after brushing and flossing helps to eliminate any bacteria you may have missed, while also helping to improve the freshness of your breath.
Dental Exams & Cleanings
Regular dental exams and cleanings often go overlooked as an important part of protecting your long-term oral health. However, dental exams provide our Longmont dentist with the opportunity to spot any signs of disease or decay early on while the condition is still easily treatable. The earlier an oral health concern is diagnosed, the quicker the problem can be treated and any damage reversed. Unfortunately, waiting to visit your dentist in Longmont until after you experience oral discomfort can require more costly and intrusive forms of treatment to correct the underlying problem.
At Twin Peaks Family & Cosmetic Dentistry, Dr. Butler uses digital X-rays to gain an accurate understanding of your current oral health. Once your oral health needs have been identified, our team will create an individual treatment plan designed to maintain and improve the long-term health of your teeth and gums.
Preventing and correcting the causes of dental decay require patients undergo thorough dental cleanings from our gentle dental hygienists. When plaque is allowed to build up on the surface of your teeth, it eventually hardens into tartar - a yellowish substance that stains tooth enamel and increases your risk of gum inflammation and disease. Once plaque hardens into tartar, it can only be removed from the surface of your teeth by a dental hygienist.
When combined, regular cleanings and exams will greatly lower your risk of oral health problems so you can continue to smile brightly for years to come.
Fluoride Treatments
Fluoride has long been been used to help protect tooth enamel from plaque and dental decay. That's because fluoride helps to remineralize tooth enamel. Plaque erodes the health of your teeth by stripping vital components from enamel, thereby weakening the overall structure of your tooth. Through the process of remineralization, fluoride works to restore the missing components stripped away by plaque. Not only does fluoride help to strengthen your teeth, it also makes them less susceptible to any future damage caused by plaque.
Dr. Butler may decide that fluoride treatments should be part of your overall treatment plan if you suffer from a variety of oral health conditions that include dry mouth, gum recession, excessive tooth decay or if you wear braces. Patients are also recommend to use toothpaste and mouthwashes that contain ADA approved levels of fluoride as part of their daily oral hygiene routines.
Dental Sealants
For many younger patients who lack the manual dexterity or attention to detail required to properly clean their teeth, cavities can become a persistent problem. Our teeth contain deep grooves and curves that can be difficult for kids to properly clean, especially in hard to reach areas towards the back of mouth, such as the molars. These areas are especially prone to cavities, which makes dental sealants an ideal way to help protect a child's oral health.
Sealants effectively "seal" away the surface of a patient's teeth. By gently applying a thin coat of plastic resin, Dr. Butler can prevent a child from developing cavities in treated areas by providing protection against plaque. This simple and painless procedure can be completed in just one 10 minute visit to our Longmont dentist office. Dental sealants are incredibly strong, non-intrusive and can last for years before a reapplication is required.
Mouth Guards
For kids and adults who participate in sports, mouth guards offer a necessary level of protection against physical trauma that could cause significant oral distress. Unlike over-the-counter boil and bite mouth guards that offer limited protection and an inexact fit, our team at Twin Peaks Dental offers custom-made mouth guards that perfectly fit the patient's teeth, providing additional comfort and protection.
Custom mouth guards also offer an additional treatment option for patients that suffer from tooth grinding at night while asleep. Nightly grinding wears down tooth enamel, eventually leading to the development of cracks in the surface of enamel. These cracks allows harmful bacteria to enter into the interior of teeth, greatly increasing the risk of decay and disease