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Sometimes, the repetitive actions of brushing and flossing your teeth can seem like a minor thing when it comes to the big picture of your oral health. However, your hygiene routine can be just as important to your overall oral health as your routine schedule of preventive dental visits. Today, we take a look at the connection between your dental hygiene and your preventive dental care, and how what you do at home every day can influence your oral health for better or worse.

What good dental hygiene means

The basic principles of good dental hygiene are to brush your teeth at least twice every day and to floss at least once, preferably before going to bed each night. Yet, this routine is only “good” if you stick to it consistently, meaning you never skip a day of cleaning your teeth, and you carefully clean every surface of your teeth each time. With proper care and attention, you can successfully prevent most of the oral bacteria in your mouth from clinging to your teeth for too long. By forming dental plaque, these bacteria can effectively accumulate on your teeth surfaces, and remain there until you proactively brush and floss them away.

The point of preventive dental care

The point of professional preventive dental care is similar to your hygiene routine – to prevent factors that could lead to potentially severe oral health concerns. During every visit, your dentist or hygienist will thoroughly clean away any plaque you may have missed and any tartar (or calcified plaque) that has built up on its place. Unlike plaque, you can’t brush and floss away tartar; the best thing you can do at home is prevent its formation by brushing and flossing away plaque consistently enough. The more effectively you prevent plaque and tartar buildup, the less likely you’ll have a more serious concern to address by the time you visit your dentist again.

The benefits of a better hygiene routine

Together, keeping up with good dental hygiene consistently and following your dentist’s preventive care instructions can significantly improve your chances of preventing some of the most common oral health concerns. For example, both tooth decay (the cause of cavities) and gingivitis (the first stage of gum disease) develop from excessive oral bacteria buildup on your teeth and gum line. With an effective hygiene routine, you can control this buildup and keep your risks of oral health concerns minimal.

Learn to take better care of your oral health

Your dental hygiene routine may seem like a small thing in the greater scheme of things, but it plays a significant role in the success of your preventive dental care. To schedule a consultation, call Cedar Dental in Cedar Rapids, IA, today at (319) 364-7108.