Good dental hygiene starts very young, as soon as the first teeth buds pop through the gums. This happens for babies at all different ages, with some not developing teeth until they are almost a year of age. Some, however, will get their teeth early, after only just a few months of life. But regardless of when the first teeth break through the surface, it’s important to begin the process of cleaning them early on.

Your child’s first teeth should be be cleaned using a damp washcloth. As they get older, a toddler sized toothbrush can be introduced, and you can begin to teach them the process of brushing their teeth. It’s important, however, not to give them any toothpaste that contains fluoride in it until they reach and surpass their second birthday. Until this point, using water or a toddler safe toothpaste is ideal.

They should also be in to see the dentist before their second birthday and while they are likely not to have had any dental problems yet, visiting the dentist is still important. The dentist is question can teach them about the proper care of their teeth, giving them the proper habits of dental hygiene that are likely to follow them all throughout their lives. In addition to this, bringing them into the dentist early on in life makes it far less likely that they will develop a fear of the dentist in their later years, something that plagues many people here in the United States, even much of the adult population as well as children.

Even adults could be far better about going in to see their dentist on a regular basis. The data gathered on the subject back this up, showing that nearly 15% of all adults falling between the age of 20 and the age of 64 have not seen a dentist for at least half of a decade, if not even longer than that. This is not ideal for many reasons, for aside from the fact that regular dental cleanings are necessary to dental hygiene and health, the lack of treatment for other dental concerns has also been found to be hugely detrimental for many people here in the United States and beyond it as well.

For instance, TMJ treatment is necessary for many people. TMJ treatment treats, as one might guess, TMJ, a painful condition of the jaw. Without TMJ treatment, the need for surgery on the jaw is much more likely to become common and people who have not had access to TMJ treatment due to a lack of regular dental appointments might find themselves facing just that. And with more than 30 million people diagnosed with the condition, there are likely many people out there who would very much benefit from TMJ treatment options – but who don’t have access to the development of such a TMJ treatment plan all thanks to a lack of regular and essential dental care. In fact, it’s all too likely that they don’t even know they have TMJ in the first place.

Aside from TMJ and TMJ treatment options, many people are in need of wisdom tooth extraction as well, something for which the need can only be identified with the help of a dentist. An oral surgeon will perform the wisdom tooth extraction, as it is often a more complicated procedure than the typical tooth extraction due to the likelihood of impacted teeth. It’s a common procedure however, as more than 5 million people get their wisdom teeth removed in the United States alone on a yearly basis, and one that the oral surgeon in question likely has a great deal of experience in.

When you get your wisdom teeth removed, the after care is hugely important and avoiding hard foods is essential for at least the first few days after the surgery has been completed. In addition to this, you should also have a scheduled appointment to go back in to see the surgeon, as they are likely going to want to check the progress of your healing. If you develop a dry socket, a relatively rare but certainly not unheard of complication of having your wisdom teeth removed, you should go back into your oral surgeon soon.