Beyond brushing: 3 things to do today to start taking better care of your teeth

This paid piece is sponsored by Siouxland Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery.

The first and foremost step to better oral health is one you’ve heard for years: Brush and floss after every meal and especially after any sweets.

You also likely know you should see your dentist and your hygienist every six months, unless there are concerns that warrant going more often.

But there are three other ways to address your oral health that can make a big difference.

Beware of bruxism

Many people in the United States are suffering with undiagnosed clenching and grinding habits known as bruxism. Dentists can tell when bruxism occurs because it often shows as flattened tooth surfaces and the patient repeatedly having cracked teeth needing restorations. At times, it may manifest as very sore chewing muscles. Consistent visits to the dentist are quite important to recognize these signs. The treatment most often recommended is having a night guard made to wear to help protect your teeth.

Take care of your back teeth as much as your front

Another important key to oral health is taking care of your posterior, or back, teeth. It is oftentimes typical for people to preserve their front teeth, as they are what we see in the mirror and what other people see the most. Therefore, quite often the posterior teeth end up being removed because they’ve been neglected. The back teeth are very important as they are developed to help take the load off chewing and grinding your food and in turn help to protect the front teeth. When they must be removed — and are not subsequently replaced with dental implants, a bridge or a partial denture — that causes a marked increased chewing force on the front teeth. This leads to increased rates of fracture and tooth loss. If a patient’s dentition is not properly maintained, it eventually can lead to dentures. Unfortunately, with dentures, the chewing efficiency drops about 20 percent of what a person with a full mouth of natural teeth has. In conclusion, if you want that winning smile and you want to be able to enjoy your food, be sure to preserve your back teeth.

People with dentures sometimes end up with another condition called combination syndrome. That’s when the lower natural front teeth are biting against an upper denture. The chewing pressure of the natural lower teeth eventually can cause a great deal of bone resorption under the front part of the upper denture. Therefore, the upper denture can get looser and looser until eventually there is no bone left. Before that happens, it is important to think about dental implants. Dental implants can help to stabilize that upper denture, giving it the necessary support needed to slow combination syndrome or prevent it. If the denture initially fits well, but after a few years it becomes loose, then it is time for a consultation and evaluation by your local oral surgeon. He or she will see if you are a candidate for dental implants or if the denture can be relined.

Consider your wisdom teeth

The third important thing when caring for your oral health is to see if your wisdom teeth need to be removed. The risk of developing periodontal disease, cavities and even destructive cysts goes up dramatically for the teeth next to the wisdom teeth when these third molars are not taken out. This sometimes results in the loss of additional teeth, which could have been avoided if the wisdom teeth had been addressed by an oral surgeon much earlier. In the long run, it makes much more practical sense to consult with your oral surgeon to discuss the necessity and time frame of having these teeth removed.

If you have orthodontic care, your orthodontist oftentimes may recommend removal of the wisdom teeth because of the nature of the orthodontic treatment. You should consult with your orthodontist to see if wisdom teeth removal is needed or recommended from their standpoint, which is different than the above explanation from a surgical standpoint.

In oral surgery, most often we remove the wisdom teeth all at the same time. This ideally occurs when the roots are about one-third formed and the teeth are still under the gum tissue and bone. Typically, that falls around the age of 14 and up to age 18. Because there is little root structure at that time, it is a relatively straightforward procedure in most cases. At younger ages, risks are the lowest, and recovery is more rapid. As we age, the risk factors increase, and typically recovery time is quite a bit longer. Most people choose to have all wisdom teeth removed at the same because it avoids having to go through the surgery and recovery more than once.

If you have any questions, please schedule a consultation with your dentist, and if any oral surgery is needed, ask for a referral to an oral surgeon to discuss your surgical options. Being aware of bruxism, taking care of your back teeth and considering whether to remove your wisdom teeth are three easy ways to plan for long-term oral health.

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