How to Reduce Fear and Stress around Dental Visits
Dental myths misinform one’s belief about dental care and can prohibit people from doing the things they need to keep their oral health in good shape.
Developing good oral hygiene habits depends on knowing fact from fiction but unfortunately, there is quite a bit of misinformation out there that is commonly accepted as dental ‘truth’.
From simple things like how to brush right, or more complex ones like how root canals work, equip yourself with fact and you increase your power to influence oral health, and reduce the fear you might feel concerning the dentist!
What follows are Triadent’s 7 common dental myths that everyone should dispell to make dental habits better, and oral health easier to access.
1. Brushing Before Your Appointment Will Fool Your Dentist
It’s common for patients to brush and floss their hardest before a dental appointment as if their dentist is looking to judge them personally based on their oral health.
Firstly, your dentist isn’t interested in making any kind of judgement except those that are directly related to your oral health.
Secondly, brushing and flossing before dentist appointments doesn’t fool your dentist.
Brushing and flossing before an appointment will do absolutely nothing to hide the indicators of poor dental habits.
Red, receded gums cannot be repaired in the moments between brushing and sitting in the dentist’s chair. Flossing will not eliminate your cavities. Brushing does not remove calcified tartar buildup. While your dentist might appreciate the impact a pre-visit brush has on possible bad breath, it does absolutely nothing to improve oral health!
2. Bleeding Is Bad When Flossing or Brushing
Bleeding isn’t something that you want to see when flossing or brushing, but when you do, it’s important not to think that flossing or brushing is its cause!
The cause of gum bleeding that you ought to pay attention to is plaque buildup. This will generally occur in nooks and crannies between your teeth and gums that are rarely cleared of plaque by brushing and flossing. When you spit and see blood, this means that you have cleared the area.
When you find blood after brushing or flossing, it’s important to determine where the blood is coming from. The body’s way of indicating where more attention needs to be paid, finding the source of bleeding will equip you with the information you need to better care for your oral health.
By making a note to return to this area and ensure it is cleaned every time you brush and floss, you improve your oral care habits and protect the health of your mouth!
3. Root Canals Hurt
Many patients struggle and suffer with long-lasting oral pain that could easily be eliminated with a simple root canal because they believe root canals to be a tremendously painful procedure.
The truth is that root canals don’t cause pain. They relieve it!
Root canals used to hurt, but with the advance of technology, they become a relatively painless procedure. Today’s root canals are experiences not too different for patients than fillings, they simply last a little longer!
The root canal earned its reputation before the days of modern anesthesiology and dental technology. Without access to the tools and techniques available today, dentists were forced to perform excruciating procedures.
Today, things are quite different. If you’re interested in learning more about the painless nature of Root Canals, check out this first-hand account from Dental Fear Central.
4. More Brushing = Better Teeth
Brushing and flossing twice a day is the optimal oral hygiene technique.
Some advocate brushing after every meal, but this advice is misinformed.
Toothpastes all contain abrasive ingredients meant to help scrub plaque off your teeth. Like microscopic sand, these abrasives help them scrub plaque off the smooth surface of your teeth. Over-brushing
Over-brushing your teeth can actually contribute to the accelerated wear-and-tear of your teeth by slowly ‘grinding down’ your enamel, and leaving microscopic scratches on the surface of your teeth that help plaque adhere to and penetrate your tooth surface.
If you’re looking for something to help clean your teeth in-between your twice-a-day brushing, rinse your mouth after every meal and consider purchasing a sugar-free gum. Rinsing will clear much of the post-eating detritus from your mouth, and sugar-free gum will help to keep saliva production strong!
5. Children Only Need To See The Dentist After The Second Tooth.
While it might seem like there isn’t much for a dentist to inspect when your child doesn’t have teeth, dentists would tell you otherwise!
This is why dentists recommend that children be taken to the dentist for their first appointment sometime before their first birthday.
Your child’s inspection can prepare you for any problems they might be exposed to later in life, and equip you with measures you can take to optimally care for your child’s teeth as they come in and long after!
Promoting a healthy, life-long dental routine for your child is easiest when you start right and start early, so make sure you check your child in for their first appointment before the age of one!
6. Dental Treatments Should Be Avoided During Pregnancy
This is an old wives tale that does nothing to promote the health of mothers or their babies but unfortunately is widely believed.
Your dentist is interested in nothing other than the promotion of your health, and in turn that of your baby’s. Anaesthetics and X-Rays may give mothers cause for concern, but it is important to recognize they will only be performed when necessary.
So long as your dentist is informed of your pregnancy, they will take every measure to ensure that the health of you and your child are protected. Risking dental complications by forgoing dental visits altogether does nothing to protect the health of you or your child, so be sure you continue your regular dental schedule!
7. Weight Loss Affects The Fit of Oral Implants and Dentures
Another wives tale is that significant weight gain or weight loss incurs the cost of refitting dentures and other oral hardware.
The shape of the bone under your tissue determines the fit of oral hardware, and fluctuating weight has absolutely no impact on it. The fit of dentures, certain oral implants, and other dental hardware will not change with your weight!
Triadent Dental – Ottawa’s Path To Oral Health
It’s not just your toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss that promotes your oral health.
When it comes to keeping plaque down and smiles up, knowledge is a critical component of dental care as well!
Trident distinguishes itself in Ottawa by providing more than just dental services and procedures, but a holistic approach that equips you with everything you need to maximize oral health for yourself and family.
Learn more about how you can improve your dental health habits by booking an appointment with Triadent Dental!
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