Is it really that simple?
Recently had a wonderful interaction with the amazing and evergreen Dr. Stuart Orton-Jones about the importance of oral hygiene maintenance and how the lack of it is the root cause of almost all of dental and gum diseases and I couldn’t agree more with him on this. Practicing good oral hygiene procedures is not a very difficult but often one of the most neglected activities of the routine.
As a dentist, seeing how many people could do better just by a simple act of tooth brushing makes me feel that the dental profession has failed at educating and encouraging good hygiene practices as a preventive modality.
It really is that simple. Prevention is much better than cure when it comes to dental diseases. Because any damage done to teeth is irreversible due its limited capability of healing and regeneration. It is not uncommon to get tooth cavities filled with an artificial material or missing teeth replaced with artificial ones hoping they function reasonably. Over the years dental medicine and technology has advanced a lot to make artificial materials work very well with the human body and a well learned dentist has the expertise to implement it perfectly well. But natural teeth are still the best deal you can get for the job they have been designed for. And until we come up with ways to heal or create new teeth they really are the best deal yet. So saving what you have been blessed with is the way to go.
I will talk more about this in the days to come. I really feel that Dentists can really help people stay healthy, but I also feel that people can do more for themselves than any doctor can to do for them.
If you have any questions about any teeth or gum health related issues you would like me to answer, you can post them on the page or email me at tsfdental@outlook.com