Dental care is as important as caring for any other aspect of your health, no matter what your age might be. In fact, even the very youngest of children should be taught how to properly care for their teeth from as early of an age as is possible. As soon as the first teeth erupt – which can sometimes be as early as only after a few months of life, though this will certainly vary from child to child – it is important to “brush” them, wiping them off using a warm washcloth and water. As the child enters toddlerhood, a small toothbrush and a fluoride free and safe to swallow toothpaste can be used, though it is hugely important to recognize that children should not be using toothpaste that has fluoride in it until they surpass their second birthday.
In addition to this, regular dental check ups should begin by the time that a child has reached this same second birthday, either with a pediatric dentist or even just at a local dental clinic. Going to the dentist regularly, ideally twice a year, is a great way to make sure that no serious problems are developing in your child’s teeth or mouth as a whole. The dentist that treats them can also help to teach them about proper dental hygiene, something that will be important to them throughout the rest of their lives, especially as their baby teeth fall out and their permanent teeth grow in.
If dental care is not carried through into adulthood, tooth extraction is likely to become a necessity as teeth become rotted and decayed. Tooth extraction is typically a relatively simple procedure, and tooth extraction typical does not require general anesthesia (unless you are talking about wisdom tooth extraction). In fact, up to one quarter of all adults are dealing with tooth decay that has not been treated, a condition that can not only look bad but can cause a great deal of pain as well, seriously impeding the person’s everyday quality of life.
Tooth extraction of these teeth can help to alleviate this tooth pain and dental implants can help to rectify the missing tooth. A dental implant is incredibly common here in the United States, with up to half of a million more new people receiving these dental implants on a years basis – already, up to three million people have them. Fortunately, dental implants are a great solution after tooth extraction, as they have a success rate that exceeds ninety five percent (ninety eight percent, to be a little more exact).
But some types of tooth extraction is much more commonplace, such as in the extraction of wisdom teeth. For most people, having wisdom teeth extracted is something of a right of passage, as wisdom teeth easily grow in to be impacted, as the vast majority of people simply do not have the necessary space to house them in their mouths. In fact, less than fifteen percent of the total elderly adult population (those who has surpassed the age of sixty five) here in the United States has non impacted wisdom teeth that have not needed to be removed.
Wisdom tooth extraction is so common that up to five million people undergo the procedure in the United States over the course of just one year. It typically involves being fully put under, though some people might opt instead for twilight sedation, for a number of reasons (such as being particularly sensitive to anesthesia). The healing procedure is longer than that of the typical tooth extraction, but it is not horribly long. Pain killers will usually be prescribed for the first couple of days after the procedure has been completed, but are typically not needed much longer after that. And after a few days, solid foods can usually be consumed, though it is ideal to stick with soft foods that are easy to chew and swallow.
All in all, dental care of all kinds is an incredibly important thing, especially when it comes to the longevity of your teeth and your overall dental health for the duration of your life, from childhood to adult years.
