May is National Dental Care Month. Created by a dentist who wanted to make sure healthy habits were at the forefront of people’s brains, this month is to remind you just how important it is to care for your teeth. Here is what National Dental Care month is here to do. 

What is National Dental Care Month?

During May, National Dental Care is a reminder for us all to take better care of our teeth. Oral hygiene is learned from an early age, however, the older and busier we get the easier it is to not do all the steps of our oral care correctly. A healthy smile requires you to practice good habits each and every day. Maintaining these habits not only reduces your risk of cavities and infection, but also the cost associated with long-term dental repairs. It’s explained that National Dental Care Month brings awareness just in time for a summer full of family reunions, weddings, and vacations — all of the times where lots of pictures are taken and your smile is shown off. 

Benefits of Maintaining a Healthy Smile

Our teeth are meant to last a lifetime. If we didn’t have our teeth, we wouldn’t be able to talk, eat, and chew like normal. You can’t go wrong with maintaining a healthy smile, in fact, the Oral Health Foundation lists these benefits of maintaining your oral health. You can:

Keep your smile for life

When you clean and care for your teeth in a proper way, eat healthy, and visit your dentist for your regular appointments, you can reduce the risk of losing your teeth prematurely. Tooth loss also has a correlation with how long we live. The Oral Health Foundation (OHF) reports that those with at least 20 teeth or more at 70 years old were more likely to live longer than those who had less than 20 teeth present at the time. Tooth loss as a result of poor oral hygiene is completely preventable. Caring for your teeth means you can keep your smile for life. 

Reducing the risk of disease 

Gum disease is the result of bacteria in the mouth. When we have gum disease, the bacteria from our mouth can get into our bloodstream. When this happens, it creates a blood thickening protein. As a result, blood clots are more likely to form and cause the heart to not get proper oxygen — which could lead to cardiovascular disease and other problems, like stroke.

Prevent high risk of cancer and dementia

In women particularly, the OHF reports, maintaining a healthy smile is likely to reduce the risk of certain cancers and forms of dementia. New studies have shown that in older women who had a history of gum disease were 14% more likely to develop cancer. Additionally, those who have healthy gums are 70% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than those who had gum disease for longer periods of time when they were younger. 

Have a healthy baby 

It has been shown that pregnant women who have gum disease are likely to have babies that are premature or with a low birth weight. There is a 1 in 4 chance that a pregnant woman can give birth before 35 weeks along due to the gum disease raising chemicals in the body that bring on labor. 

Maintain your appearance 

Plaque and bacteria in the mouth cause gum disease and tooth decay, however, it can also lead to bad breath and tooth staining. While some tooth staining is natural as we age, it can be worse for those who smoke, drink lots of red wine, coffee, and don’t properly brush their teeth afterwards. Most of the time, regular dental visits with professional cleaning is enough to remove minor stains — another reason keeping these appointments is so important! 

Regular Dental Checkups with Mountain Aire Dentistry 

To have a healthy smile you have to maintain it — just like how you have to maintain eating healthy foods and exercising to keep your body healthy. To maintain a healthy smile, you should:

• Brush your teeth twice each day, for two minutes each time.
• Floss once a day. 
• Use a fluoride toothpaste and mouthwash to help fight cavities and tooth decay. 
• Visit your dentist for a cleaning and checkup every six months. 

When you come in for your routine checkup at Mountain Aire Dentistry, we will review your medical history for any changes, perform a full exam of your mouth, and deep clean your teeth and gums. This is one of the most important things you can do to maintain a happy and healthy smile. 

Make an Appointment with Mountain Aire Dentistry 

Dr. Chris Bockrath and our team at Mountain Aire Dentistry have experience you can trust. If you are in Broomfield, Colorado or surrounding areas, we’re here to help you with your smile. National Dental Care Month might be in the month of May, but we’re here to help you year ‘round.