PELIONCHESS

Health & Fitness

Bad Habit

Taking Care of Your Teeth

There are a few things that show as an immediate “cause and effect” of not caring for your teeth and the resulting decay. Dental care is very Dental Clinic Near Me Open Now expensive. If you don’t brush and floss your teeth, decay will set it. It’s that simple. In most cases, it’s an unnecessary expense.
Ever thought about what might happen if you neglected your teeth for a month? I’ll tell you. One of my sons climbed Mt. McKinley a few years ago. He made it to the summit, which was great. However it took him almost a month, during which time he neglected his teeth. For those of you who aren’t familiar with high altitude climbing, you have to do it very slowly; climbing up, then down, and waiting days at different elevations to help your body adjust to the altitude.
Brushing your teeth when you are in survival mode at sub-zero temperatures is not at the top of your priorities. However he paid a stiff price. After he came home and went to the dentist, he had to have over 12 cavities filled and 2 root canals. To make matters worse, he had cracked several teeth from eating frozen candy bars.
In our case, we had great dental coverage, so it wasn’t a financial setback. Otherwise it would have cost several thousand Drugs That Turn Your Teeth Brown dollars. Money aside, the damage you do to your teeth is permanent and having dental work done is not pleasant.
As you get older, if you don’t floss your teeth, you will become what is commonly referred to as “long in the tooth.” You gums will recede, often leaving sensitive, exposed tissue. Your smile will suffer, as your teeth will look elongated. If it gets bad enough, you will have to have skin grafts to cover the area where the tissue is missing.
The good news- you can avoid all of these problems, and the resulting expense, by just taking care of your teeth. Brush and floss your teeth with regularity. Start your children at a young age. If you wait until they are 7 or 8 before taking them into the dentist, decay in their baby teeth may affect the permanent ones coming in behind them. Obviously, it won’t be a pleasant experience for either you or your children.
Set their habits early. Let them see you taking care of your teeth, and make sure that they do the same thing. If they have a snack, have them brush afterwards, even if it is just with a wet brush to save money on toothpaste.
There are mixed opinions about fluoride, so I’m not going to get into that. If your children’s teeth have crevices that are prone to cavities, it may be worth the money to have a sealant put in them. Dental work is extremely expensive. Prevention is cheap. Don’t waste your money by neglecting your teeth.