Taking care of our teeth is so important even if it can be a chore sometimes but the truth is, we only get one set of permanent teeth in our lifetime so we have to see to it that they stick around for awhile. Here are some good motivators for staying on top of dental hygiene:

1. Tooth Decay The better known term for teeth decay is ‘cavity’. Everyone is susceptible to getting a cavity. What happens is that the enamel that protects your teeth can get ruined and bacteria will form onto your teeth. This is called dental plaque. At this point, the plaque can lead to cavities. So how do we avoid it? Fluoride. Toothpastes that contain fluoride and mouth rinses can help a lot. Your dentist can even preform fluoride treatments if necessary.
2. Dentures If you do not take care of your teeth properly and end up with tooth loss, you will need dentures. There are 20 million women in America over the age of 40 that have dentures. However, you do not need to add to that number. If you visit your dentist twice annually, take care of gum disease in the early stages, and have tooth pain seen to right away you may be able to save yourself from having all your teeth removed and dentures inserted.
3. Dry Mouth Dry mouth is when the salivary glands are functioning as they should making it difficult to eat or swallow and sometimes speak. Dry mouth can come from different diseases or even treatments and common medicines. If your dry mouth is coming from one of these things, talk to your doctor about cutting back or changing your medication. In the meantime, drink lots of water, cut back on sugar, caffeine and alcohol and reduce tobacco intake.
4. Oral Cancer While this happens mostly to people over age 40, it’s still crucial to catch it early on. Many times, pain is not an indicator at first so having regular dentist appointments can help discover early signs. To lower your potential risk of oral cancer stop smoking or chewing tobacco, if you must drink alcohol do so only socially and in moderation in those times, make sure you are using sunscreen on your lips and fill your diet with fruits and vegetables.
5. Dental implants This one is a little different because implants aren’t always a bad thing. Implants can be done as cosmetic surgery and look quite attractive. But the kind I am talking about are the small metal pieces that are inserted into the jaw to hold false teeth or dentures together. They are not necessary if you take the necessary precautions to take care of your teeth.

So, in conclusion: Brush! Floss! See your dentist and eat well! It isn’t that hard to remember. How do you ensure a life of natural teeth for yourself?