Beautiful teeth are also healthy teeth. Most people believe that having a bright smile has a direct impact on their social lives as well as their careers. Equally important, having healthy and clean teeth and gums affects your health and your vulnerability to chronic diseases. It’s time to recognize this as one more reason to maintain overall dental health and hygiene. General and cosmetic dentists provide both preventative and restorative services to keep you smiling and healthy.
Everybody loves a bright smile
Most people believe that the quality of their smiles affects their social lives. Having clean healthy, shining teeth is also believed to be an advantage in the workplace, and the reverse is also true. About 74% of American adults, or three fourths, believe that having a smile that shows stained, broken or missing teeth can hurt your career.
When it comes to being attractive to members of the opposite sex, a smile matters too. At least that’s what over 96% of the population believes. The best thing about having an attractive smile is that this is one feature that doesn’t vanish with age but remains attractive as people get older.
Forgetting the basics of dental hygiene
The basics of dental hygiene still come down to the rules we learned long ago: floss daily, brush your teeth twice a day, see your dentist regularly. Unfortunately, over the years, people tend to ignore these and to let things slide.
Just over half or 56.8% of women say that they brush their teeth twice a day. For men, the corresponding figure is 49%. And instead of six months, people let three years pass between appointments for general dental care. Only about one person in five, or 22%, claims to floss their teeth daily.
Not surprisingly around one third of 32% people surveyed say that are concerned by the way their teeth look. Almost one in five or 18% of people try to hide their teeth in pictures. The lack of confidence in your appearance affects your overall confidence and quality of life.
Dental hygiene and overall health
Most people are not aware that the state of your teeth and gums also affects your overall health. And conditions like gum disease and cavities can actually increase your risk of serious problems like heart attacks and strokes.
However, it’s never too late to begin practicing dental care. Flossing your teeth daily can reduce the risk of a heart attack by 40%. If that’s not an argument for good dental hygiene, we don’t know what is.
Cosmetic dentistry can work wonders
For chipped, stained and missing teeth, cosmetic dentistry can use new technologies like implants and veneers to work wonders. From trying to hide your smile in pictures, you can go to being someone who smiles a lot, just because your teeth are clean and shining again.
New teeth whitening technologies are both popular and successful. They can be used at home too but for best results should be done by a cosmetic dentist.
Most people need a dentist appointment every six months to make sure that all is well, and for some regular cleaning. Even if your teeth seem to be beyond help, cosmetic dentists can use all kinds of procedures to help you regain your smile and your confidence.