Day in day out at my Studio City dental practice, I see various dental problems among the general population. I can confidently say that most of these problems arise from the lack of proper dental hygiene. Periodontal disease is the #1 cause of losing teeth. The disease can start with gingivits, which affects more than 50% of my patients. If it is left untreated, the disease will progress in stages. You will not typically feel any pain with its progression until the disease reaches an advanced stage. It is at that point that the tooth will loosen and either fall out or will have to be taken out. The problem is that it is too late at that point. We need to catch the problem way before this happens. Genetics does play a part, however, if one brushes and flosses properly on a regular basis, the probability of periodontal disease greatly decreases. In fact, it is not just periodontal disease that decreases but also dental cavities that decrease.
I see it all the time. Here is a typical scenario. A teenager comes into the office and I find 6 cavities on them. They all show to be growing in between the teeth. This tells me that the teenager is not flossing properly on a regular basis. Even though you cannot see them, these cavities could be large! This can be prevented by flossing every day and also making sure you get your teeth cleaned every 6 months. This will greatly decrease the probability that cavities will form, even in teenagers! The moral of the story is that you need to floss your teeth daily, not just brush them!
So as you can see, simple habits like brushing twice a day and flossing daily can help you keep your teeth healthy and keep them forever! : )
