Here in the United States, seeking dental care (if you have adequate dental insurance) is relatively easy. The ability to find a local dentist is vast for most people, with various types of dentists working in their areas. However, many people have a fear of the dentist, something that can put them back from going in when they should. And still more, as is unfortunately the case in all realms and aspects of medical care, feel that they don’t have the money for a dentist.

However, keeping your teeth in good shape throughout your life is actually likely to save you a good deal of money and the basics of oral hygiene are certainly not all that time intensive – or cost intensive, at that. Of course, going to the dentist is important and more than 90% of people in Florida alone feel that they need their regular dentist appointments to keep their teeth as healthy as possible. However, you’ll likely only be going to the dentist around twice a year, so the rest of dental care will fall on your shoulders.

Brushing your teeth, for instance, is something that needs to be done twice a day, every single day. However, you should take care not too brush too vigorously or too frequently, as this can actually damage the enamel on your teeth quite significantly. And in addition to brushing, you should be flossing on a daily basis as well.

Of course, teaching your children about oral hygiene is incredibly important as well, and it is actually something that should start very early on in life. Ideally, you’ll be brushing their teeth as soon as teeth buds appear, which can be as early as only just a few months of age. At this point in life, a washcloth and water will do the job, and it’s important to avoid fluoride toothpaste until they are at last 2 years of age – or the family dentist gives the all clear to use it. Young children should be in to see the dentist at least once before their second birthday and though they might not have cavities, the dentist can help to instill the values of proper oral hygiene from a very young age.

However, it is likely for children to develop cavities as well. Unfortunately, the data shows that up to 90% of all school children – and at least 60% of them at the very least – have cavities. This means that they will likely need to miss school in order to take care of them – and dental pain itself can hugely impact a child’s educational experience. By the time that a person reaches adulthood, it is almost guaranteed that they will have experienced at least one cavity by that point, if not many more.

And from Invisalign to affordable dental implants (of which more and more – up to half of a million more – people have each year), teeth straightening methods using teeth straighteners are also becoming more necessary. Fortunately, most teeth straightening procedures will happen early on in life, once a child’s permanent teeth are fully grown in. These teeth straightening methods using teeth straighteners often include braces, retainers, and even expanders and ideally the entirety of the process will not last more than a couple of years.

Teeth straightening with teeth straighteners, however, often again becomes necessary in adulthood, as many people do not wear their retainers consistently for a long period of time after having their braces removed, undoing much of the initial and original progress that had been made. For adults, Invisalign can be the ideal teeth straightening measure and is one of the most popular teeth straighteners out there, as it is much more discreet of a teeth straightening process than traditional braces and other teeth straighteners like retainers are, to say the least.

From teeth straighteners to cavity filling, there are many reasons that dentists all around the country and the world are hugely important. The health and the overall appearance of your teeth can actually impact the overall quality of your life quite considerably, and it is certainly not something that should be overlooked or discounted in any way.