Caring for an Elderly Parent With Special Dental Needs
3 Ways Your Dentist Can Help Prevent Future Cavities
Joe Lawrence
Fighting cavities requires work from both the patient and the dentist. If you're tired of having cavities and want it to stop, you may need to change your oral hygiene habits at home. However, that doesn't mean that your dentist can't help out, too. If you're heading in for cavity care, consider scheduling appointments for these three things while you're at it.
1. Regular Check-Ups
Dentists always suggest how often they want to see their patients, but the need can't be stressed enough. Without help from a dentist, you cannot eliminate tartar on your teeth and gums. Tartar is one of the leading causes of cavities, and once you have it, it will only get worse. If you're not coming in to see your dentist as often as you recommend, you're doing a disservice to your teeth and your overall oral health. Even if you think your oral health is fine in the future, don't skip out on your check-ups with the dentist.
2. Bonding
Dental bonding is a method of covering the tooth with an extra layer of protection. It's painless, easy, and doesn't require anesthesia. The bonding material is simply painted on and dries in place, acting like a sort of second set of enamel over your teeth.
Dental bonding is typically only used on the biting surfaces of your teeth, so you'll still need to take good care of your teeth overall. However, the biting surfaces of molars are frequently subject to cavities, since food gets chewed up and left behind in the pits there. Dental bonding may help to keep you from getting cavities in these parts of your mouth.
3. Enamel Restoration
Finally, talk to your dentist to find out if your dental enamel is weak. If often is in people who have cavities on a regular basis.
When enamel is weakened by acid or simple wear and tear, it can't do its job of protecting the rest of your teeth. This means that bacteria and tartar have an easier time chewing a hole in your tooth.
Dentists can restore enamel by restoring some of the minerals that have been lost. By strengthening your enamel, you'll naturally boost your defense against cavities.
Cavities are a serious problem for many people, but they don't have to be. By flossing, brushing, and seeing your dentist for these three tips, you can prevent it from being a problem for you in the future. For more information, contact a company like Dental Studios of MacArthur.
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Caring for an elderly parent tends to be tough enough without the added stress of dealing with dental implants or dentures. But, the prospect is not the end of the world—there are many things you can do to ensure that your parent's dental health is not compromised without having to spend a lot of personal time doing the care yourself. Between working with the right dentist, hiring a service provider for part time work, and giving your parent the tools he or she needs to care for his or her own dental health at home, you'll find that dental health for your loved one isn't so tough or time consuming after all. Hopefully you are able to get the support and information you need right here.