Talk to a family dentist, and they will tell you how important having a healthy mouth is. Your oral health is closely related to your overall health, and teeth serve an important role when it comes to eating and speaking. We all tend to feel better about ourselves when our mouth is healthy. It is one of the first things people notice during social interactions, so those with a healthy set of teeth tend to be eager to show them off, while the opposite holds true for those with damaged or dirty-looking teeth.
What if you have been taking good care of your mouth, brushing twice daily, flossing once a day and visiting a dentist twice a year? Here are four signs that all your hard work and dedication has paid off.
When a person's gums are healthy, they should have a pale, pinkish color to them. Their texture should be very firm and not puffy. Reddish or whitish gums are often signs that a person's gums are unhealthy. Gums that bleed easily while brushing often have been compromised by gum disease, while sore gums with pus-filled pimples are usually signs of an infection.
The depth of gum pockets can also be used to determine how healthy they are. It can be difficult for patients to measure this themselves, but it is one of those things a family dentist will take a close look at.
When a person's mouth is healthy, their teeth should be free of cavity, chips, cracks, major stains, loose dental prosthetics, missing teeth, crooked or poorly aligned teeth. All these things are issues that need to be addressed by a dentist to prevent them from getting worse. In addition, healthy teeth do not appear extra long. That is usually caused by receding gums, a symptom of gum disease.
A dentist will keep an eye out for all these things during a routine examination.
A healthy mouth will not consistently have a nasty odor to it. Having bad breath in the morning is one thing, but when it sticks with a person throughout the day, it can be a sign of gingivitis, which leads to gum disease. Other things that can lead to bad breath include:
To analyze your breath, lick the back of a hand, let it dry, then smell the area. Bad breath is often an issue that can be fixed by a dentist.
The tongue is another good indicator of how healthy a person's mouth is. A healthy tongue should be pink and covered with papillae (tiny nodules). The surface should be clean, smooth and flat. The nodules on the tongue can house oral bacteria and give them an opportunity to populate to unhealthy levels.
The tongue should be cleaned during each brushing session with a tongue scraper or toothbrush.
At Frankford Dental Care, we provide routine oral examinations and treatments that will keep your teeth healthy. Drop by our office for a thorough oral examination, and find out how healthy your mouth really is.
Request an appointment here: https://frankforddentalcare.com or call Frankford Dental Care at (215) 302-1746 for an appointment in our Philadelphia office.
Check out what others are saying about our dental services on Yelp: Family Dentist.
In cosmetic dentistry, there are all kinds of approaches used to improve smiles, but porcelain veneers happen to be one of the most popular. Continue reading to learn more. Over the years as dental technology has improved, so have the techniques and approaches that are used to keep the teeth healthy and attractive.Porcelain veneers are…
If you get nervous going to the dentist, you are not alone. Dental anxiety is a common problem that almost everyone struggles with from time to time. Most people experience it before and during a procedure or appointment. While it may seem difficult to overcome, it is possible with the help of an experienced dentist.…
Dental restorations have been used for thousands of years. In fact, a 2012 article published by The New York Times details the discovery of a 6,500-year-old human jawbone. Considered the earliest evidence of dental fillings, it had beeswax in one tooth, which researchers believe was to ease the pain of a crack. These days, restorations…
Crowns are commonly used in dental restorations. A crown is a cap shaped like a tooth but hollow in the middle. It fits over a natural tooth that has to be prepared first. Depending on the issue it is correcting, a crown can be used by itself or as a component of another restoration technique.Teeth…
In cosmetic dentistry, there are all kinds of approaches used to improve smiles, but porcelain veneers happen to be one of the most popular. Continue reading to learn more. Over the years as dental technology has improved, so have the techniques and approaches that are used to keep the teeth healthy and attractive.Porcelain veneers are…
If you get nervous going to the dentist, you are not alone. Dental anxiety is a common problem that almost everyone struggles with from time to time. Most people experience it before and during a procedure or appointment. While it may seem difficult to overcome, it is possible with the help of an experienced dentist.…