While there’s plenty of dental advice floating around the internet these days, there are also a lot of common myths about dental hygiene that get shared too. Knowing these myths can help you to avoid making bad decisions when it comes to your dental care.
Your family dentist at Heroes Dental in McAllen would like to bust these myths so you can have a healthier smile.
Dental Myths To Know About
1. White Teeth Are Healthy Teeth
Teeth whitening is an incredibly popular treatment used to give people a whiter smile. However, whiter teeth aren’t always healthier teeth.
Your general dentist looks at a number of factors, like cavities and plaque severity, when figuring out how healthy your smile is. If your teeth are changing color, you need to find out why before you decide to commit to tooth whitening. Addressing the underlying cause will also help you keep your whitening results for longer.
2. Dental Health Is Separate From Your General Health
It may seem that poor dental hygiene only affects your oral health, but this just isn’t true. For instance, gum disease has been linked to diabetes, heart disease, and pneumonia. Oral infections can also spread and cause serious health conditions like inflammation in your heart and lungs.
The reality is that the health of your teeth can greatly affect your overall health.
3. Sugar Causes Cavities
Most people think if you avoid sugar, you can avoid cavities. However, even if you cut out sugar but don’t brush and floss regularly, you can still develop cavities!
Failing to brush regularly allows bacteria to reproduce on your teeth, promoting decay and cavities.
4. Dental Hygiene Doesn’t Matter for Baby Teeth
Baby teeth don’t stick around forever, so you may assume any problems with them go away once the tooth is gone. The truth, however, is that baby teeth need care just like adult teeth as tooth decay at an early age can cause serious problems in the future.
For example, baby teeth make space for adult teeth. If your child loses a baby tooth early, that can cause other teeth to shift, which can lead to crooked teeth or other developmental problems.
Crooked teeth will require additional dental care and you’ll need to seek out McAllen orthodontics to have a healthy smile.
5. Charcoal Toothpaste Is the Better Choice for Your Dental Hygiene
You’ve probably seen charcoal toothpaste at your local grocery store, and it’s normally marketed for tooth whitening and better dental hygiene. While charcoal toothpaste can affect some surface stains, it doesn’t do anything for deeper stains.
Unfortunately, charcoal toothpaste can also be more abrasive, which can make your tooth enamel thinner. Thinner enamel can make your teeth look yellow. Charcoal toothpaste can also remove important protective agents that keep your teeth healthy.
Your family dentist can help you find better ways to whiten your teeth while keeping them healthy.
Heroes Dental: McAllen’s Own Family Dentists
If you want to keep up with your dental care, you need a good general dentist. Trust Heroes Dental with your oral health. We can answer any questions and keep your mouth healthy.
Contact us today to schedule your appointment. Remember, you should be visiting your family dentist twice a year. Don’t put it off any longer!