This four-part article series explains 12 interesting and enlightening facts you may not have known about oral health and hygiene.
Welcome to the final installment of this four-part article series on 12 extraordinary dental facts and statistics. In our previous article, dental implants specialists in Sun City revealed that drinking more than three glasses of sugar-packed and acid-rich soda or cola a day can cause you to suffer from 68% more tooth decay than someone who chooses water as their thirst quencher. Other fascinating facts included: (1) you should replace your toothbrush after suffering a viral infection or else you could re-infect yourself and (2) a knocked out tooth can only survive for about 15 minutes outside the mouth. By putting it in milk or saliva and rushing to the dentist, you can save yourself a trip to the cosmetic dentist in Arizona!
We’re almost done, so let’s finish up with some final dental facts.
Fascinating Fact # 10
Tiny babies are not born with the kind of oral bacteria that causes tooth decay. Rather, these nasty little pathogens are transferred to them and usually by the parents. This is done via kissing or blowing on hot food to cool it down before feeding it to their tot.
“It is simply a matter of time before your baby contracts the kind of bacteria that causes tooth decay, so there’s no sense in getting neurotic about transmission,” says the dental implants specialists in Sun City. “What you should do is speak to your dentist about how you can be caring for your child’s teeth and gums because even babies who haven’t developed their milk teeth need an oral healthcare routine. Your baby should also see the dentist for the first time around 1 years of age.”
Fascinating Fact # 11
Dental implants are tiny metal screws that are used to replace the roots of missing teeth. They then provide support for an artificial tooth, such as a ceramic crown (to replace a single tooth) or an acrylic dental bridge (to replace a complete dental arch). But did you know that dental implants are constructed from the same metal as professional sporting equipment, fighter jets and spacecraft?
“Titanium metal is a wonderful material with a staggering diversity of applications,” says a dental implants expert. “It’s extremely lightweight, yet exceptionally strong, which is why it’s used in the manufacturing of things like space craft and professional tennis racquets. “Titanium is also unique in its ability to be biocompatible, which means that bone tissue will readily bond to its surface, allowing for implants to become integrated by the jaw. This is why dental implant are fixed and non-removable.”Fascinating Fact # 12
Did you know that wearing traditional removable dentures could reduce your life expectancy by 10 years? Shocking isn’t it? How is this possible?
“Removable dentures do not maintain jawbone health like natural teeth or dental implants do, which replace both the tooth roots AND the tooth crowns,” explains a cosmetic dentist in Arizona. “Over time, wearing dentures causes the jawbone to atrophy and waste away. This is why people who have worn dentures for such a long time look as though their mouths have shrunk into their face. This also means that the force with which they can bite down becomes reduced, thus compromising their ability to manage a decent variety and amount of food at mealtimes. The result can be malnutrition and a vast reduction in one’s quality of life.”
The alternative to dentures is a dental implant procedure known as the "All-On-4" and any cosmetic dentist worth his or her salt recommends it to Arizona patients in need of new teeth!
This one shouldn't come as any surprise. Doctors and dentists alike lament the health implications of sugar-packed sodas and yet there are still countless Americans who drink three or more glasses of this beverage every day. “Soda or pop is packed with sugar and acid, making frequent exposure to this substance a risk factor for tooth decay and gum disease,” explains a cosmetic dentist in Phoenix. “In fact, those who drink more than three glasses a day account for 62% of the tooth decay, tooth loss and filling cases we address!”
When last did you change your toothbrush? According to the cosmetic dentist in Phoenix, we simply don’t change our toothbrushes enough! You should get a new brush every three to four months or when the bristles start looking frayed. “When bristles become blunt and frayed they stop cleaning as thoroughly as they used to, so even if you brush three times a day you’re not getting a good clean out of your toothbrush,” explains an experienced Phoenix dentist. “Additionally, you should throw away your toothbrush after you've had any kind of viral infection, such as a cold or flu. Otherwise you risk re-infecting yourself.”
Here’s a big one. It’s estimated by cosmetic dentists in Sun City that a staggering 80% of the population presents with some form or stage of gum disease, be it gingivitis or periodontal disease. In other words, if you’re standing in a room with 9 other people, only two people in that room will be in good oral health. The rest are at a risk of losing teeth some time in the short to medium future as a result of gum disease. So, if you don’t brush and floss regularly, the odds are not exactly stacked in your favor.
In light of the above-mentioned point and the fact that the health of your mouth and body are so connected, good oral health and hygiene can help to prevent heart problems! It is well documented in the medical literature that cardiovascular disease and gum disease share a very close relationship. Additionally, it has been discovered that people who have had heart attacks have deposits of the same kind of oral disease-causing bacteria in the ventricles of their hearts!
If asked what the most common disease in America is what would you guess? Well, THE most common ailment comes as no surprise... it’s the common cold and unless you have an infallible immune system, chances are you’ve experienced it personally. The second most common disease is actually tooth decay! According to dental implants specialists in AZ, millions of teeth are lost annually to tooth decay and gum disease. What this means is that people just aren’t taking proper care of their teeth, nor are they seeking the preventative treatment necessary to keep their mouths in excellent health.
Too lazy to pick up that floss? Do you even own any floss? According to dental implants specialists in AZ, one of the leading causes of gum disease is poor oral hygiene and without flossing, you simply aren’t maintaining a decent enough standard of oral hygiene. So much so, you could be putting yourself at a risk of developing gum disease, if you don’t already suffer from it.