Why People Ignore Dental Health

Dental Health Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri

Dental Health is an integral aspect of a healthy body, an aspect we tend to not keenly follow. Most of us are guilty of not taking our oral health with the seriousness it demands. This indifferent attitude of the common person is a major cause for dental problems that could have been intercepted at an initial stage. As many people later find out that oral health is cost effective to maintain but costly to ignore. Most of the people thinking brushing twice a day is the ultimate commandment of oral health and do not take any further action or initiative. Talk about dental health and it elicits an image of a mother forcing her kid to brush, to many of us.

Greater than 75% of the American population suffers from some degree of gum disease. This despite the country known well for the concern they show towards oral health. Here are 4 common reasons which are responsible for people tending to ignore their dental health.

1. No Pain

Pain is a leading cause for people to seek a doctor of any sort. Dental problems often do not elicit much pain (initially) leading to people to not scrutinize their oral health. Diseases such as dental caries and periodontal disease are well known to progress with out any significant pain until the disease process has established itself. Pain in tooth decay often occurs after the carious process reaches the pulp which means there is nothing you can do except a root canal treatment.

2. Visibility

People take great care of their skin, face as they are aspects of the body which are obvious to people around us. Nothing wrong with that, it’s the human tendency to do so. But, this leaves the dental health out of a person’s priority list. Although, due importance is given for a person’s smile, no concern is shown towards the rest of the dental arch due to lack of visibility. It’s unlikely that a person is going to open his mouth, look in the mirror and go scouring for dental cavities and the like.

3. Fear

The dentist has been traditionally feared due to various reasons. A greater percentage of people have no subjective fear. They fear the dentist because others do so. This non-subjective fear is a harmful one and difficult for a person to overcome. Subjective fears are due to prior dental visits which did not go as the patient desired. Fear is a very compelling emotion and a common reason for many to avoid the dentist. This is often known as dental anxiety or dental phobia. This is evident by the e-presence of many dental anxiety forums, websites and groups on social networking websites.

4. Cost

It is hard to ignore the fact that dental procedures are quite costly to undergo. The fact that most health insurance agencies do not cover dental work is also a hindrance for many. It is has been recently said by President Obama that he would like dental health to be covered. This would be a boon to many people who are procrastinating on their dental health due to the cost involved. People often do not realize that it would cost them more if they do not address the dental problem as soon as possible. Like I said earlier oral health is cost effective to maintain but costly to ignore.

There are plenty of other reasons which are specific to individuals for ignoring their oral health. Few people realize the affect their dental health can have on general health. An initiative needs to be taken by the Government to bring about awareness to the public on dental health aspects. Till then, it is just up to the dentists.

Dental Emergencies

There is never a good time to suffer from a chipped, broken, or otherwise damaged tooth.

Sometimes, excruciating tooth pain can arise due to trauma or seemingly out of nowhere.  Toothaches, broken teeth, missing fillings, and irritated gums are just a few of the reasons you should seek immediate help from a dentist. Any injury to teeth or gums should not be ignored!

Here are a few tips should you have a dental emergency of your own:

1.   My lip,tounge, gums are injured or bleeding!
When you bite your tongue or lip, or cut your gums; clean the bitten area with a piece of cotton or cloth. If swelling occurs, compress a cold pack over the injured area. Infection is always a concern so make sure see your dentist as soon as possible.

     2.   I have a cracked or broken tooth!
If you break a tooth, rinse your mouth thoroughly with some warm water, and avoid swallowing the broken parts. To minimize edema, compress cold pack on the affected area. Don’t hesitate to call your dentist at once.

If your tooth is cracked; your treatment depends on location and size of the crack. Most types of tooth cracks are tiny and won’t cause you trouble. Treatment of the cracked teeth usually varies from using a filling dental material to seal the crack to treating the cracked tooth endodontically. Unfortunately, extraction is needed for severely cracked teeth. Minor teeth cracks are usually diagnosed during routine dental examination.

3.   I think my jaw may be fractured or broken!
If you suspect that your jaw is fractured, apply cold pack against the area of swelling to control edema, and go immediately to nearest hospital emergency department. If you start to feel pain take any type of analgesics except aspirin (as it increases the bleeding tendency).

Symptoms of a broken jaw are:

Pain and swelling
Malocclusion (teeth don’t fit or occlude together)
Numbness in lower lip and chin
Intra-oral bleeding
Bruises around the injured area

   4.  What happens if my tooth is knocked out?!

Please, don't panic.

Simply hold the tooth from the crown and rinse the root with warm water or saline. Avoid scrubbing the tissue fragments on the root. If possible, insert the tooth back in its socket or put it under your tongue. Be careful to avoid swallowing it. Else wise, you can keep the knocked tooth in a glass of milk and hurry up to your dentist. Of course, don’t forget to take the glass of milk with you!

 

5.   There is something stuck between my teeth and it hurts! 
  If there is an object stuck between your teeth, try to remove it gently with dental floss. Don’t ever try to remove it with a sharp instrument to avoid cutting your gums. Call your dentist
if you fail to dislodge it.

 

  

   6. I have a toothache!Suffering from a toothache is very annoying. Most dental diseases are manifested with toothaches. If you are having a toothache, clean your mouth with warm water; also use dental flossing and teeth brushing to ensure there are no food remnants caught between your teeth. Don’t ever try to control toothache by putting an aspirin or any type of analgesic against your gingival or buccal mucosa, to avoid burning your oral tissues.