Have you heard any of these common dental myths? See which dental myths below are really myths and why you should avoid them.
1. My oral health has nothing to do with my overall health.
Having bad breath and stained teeth doesn’t just affect your social life, but your body’s health too. An incredible amount of studies show that your oral health is linked to how healthy your heart is. Poor oral health has been linked to poor general health and diseases such as heart attacks and diabetes.
2. Children don’t need to take care of their baby teeth, they just fall out anyway.
First of all, children learn routines best when they’re young, and learning how to properly clean and take care of their teeth should be one of the most important childhood lessons for them. Baby teeth play a huge role in your child’s life; neglecting them could lead to dental issues, which then lead to pain, discomfort, trouble eating and many more symptoms. Children should also be taken to the dentist as early as possible, because failing to do so could make the child pick up an irrational fear of the dentists. However, if he or she has been used to the dentists for as long as they can remember, this fear may never appear.
3. If I can’t feel or see the problem with my teeth, then I don’t have a problem.
Here’s another common myth: as with any medical issue, prevention is key when it comes to dentistry. Problems are normally only felt or seen once they have built up enough to become difficult to manage. Preventing a problem occurring in the mouth is much quicker and simpler than dealing with a problem that has already started to affect your oral health. This doesn’t mean you should pop into your dentist’s office once a week, but you should come for a checkup as often as recommended by our team at North Van Dental.
4. I only need to brush my teeth to keep them clean.
Your toothbrush can only clean so much. It’s hard to get a toothbrush’s bristles into the gaps between your teeth, and if all you’re doing is brushing, your only cleaning two thirds of your teeth, make sure to floss once a day, preferably at night, to remove anything that might have built up between your teeth during the day.
We hope you’ve learned how to avoid some common dental myths. If you have any questions, please contact North Van Dental today.