October is National Dental Hygiene Month which gives us dental professionals an opportunity to share our enthusiasm about oral care with our communities. There are multiple roles a hygienist will take on in their career to assure we are treating our patients with the most comprehensive care possible. The role of educator is one of our biggest roles.
If you go to your dental office regularly, you often see your hygienist and the trust you have in your hygienist is evident when you ask her questions about procedures and treatment she doesn’t complete. Because of this, it is imperative for us to be a wealth of knowledge ranging from our general preventative care, to more invasive procedures like crowns, root canals, deep cleanings, surgeries, and orthodontics. And if you haven’t noticed, we hygienists are an outgoing and chatty bunch, so ask us questions, we like it!
Let’s talk about the very basics of preventative care, which is the basis of my daily practice. I talk about many things with my patients and usually group my education time into three main segments: homecare, importance of office visits and basic understanding of the disease process.
First, I advise brushing two times per day and flossing daily. If patients are not keen on the idea of floss, I recommend other ways to clean between teeth. Cleaning between teeth cleans 30-40 percent of your tooth structure that is not cleaned with just brushing alone.
Second, I encourage patients to return to the office at regular intervals so your hygienist can help clean areas which are hard for you to access or that you are not getting at home. The dentist will also do an exam and periodically take radiographs to look for bone loss, cavities or other conditions that have appeared since your last exam.
Last, it is important to know why you do these things! Because plaque is bacteria that collects on your teeth and gums, it creates an infection. That infection starts out as gingivitis, a term most people are familiar with. If it is not controlled, it progresses through the tissue and into the bone and your bone starts to break down. Over time, this may cause your teeth to become loose, or even fall out.
Did you know that 50 percent of adults age 30 and over have some form of periodontal disease, with this number jumping to more than 70 percent of adults age 65 and over?
Because of this, regular dental care is essential! It is also important to note that even if you think your mouth is healthy, gum disease is often painless so patients have no idea they are in a diseased state!
We just want you to know that with proper home care techniques, cavities and periodontal disease are completely preventable. Even if some disease has occurred, it is never too late to adopt and practice better home care techniques and improve your situation!
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