It is a fact that oral health is improving; more people are keeping their teeth and fewer individuals are in need of dentures as they enter the “golden” years. We can attribute our good fortune to modern advances in dental technology, increased access to educational material, better understanding of oral disease processes and more abundant accessibility to oral health care. Despite the many tools we have available to help successfully preserve our teeth throughout our lifetime, it has been my experience as a dental practitioner in the Prescott area for over a decade, that we have only scratched the surface in the fight to avoid dental problems.
This article is my first in a series of articles that will give you the knowledge to empower yourself to achieve not only optimal oral healthcare, but also optimal whole body wellness. In my opinion, it’s not enough to strive to just avoid losing all of our teeth to dentures. I feel strongly that all dental problems are tragic, especially when the vast majority of them are avoidable. I have yet to meet someone who openly welcomes the invitation to spend time and hard-earned money on needed care when dental problems are recognized. It is our focus at the office of Dr. Jason C. Campbell, DDS, of the Advanced Prosthetics Institute (API) to work diligently to not only provide solutions in treating dental problems, but to work more closely with our patients in providing preventive care education to avoiding problems all together. It has been surprising for me to realize how many individuals are unaware of the main contributors to their dental problems and potential for losing teeth, even when they feel as though they are proactive in their home care and in trying to avoid issues. I sense their frustration when, despite their best efforts to brush and floss regularly, dental problems still arise and in some cases, plague them.
Knowledge is power! It is this motivating principle that has led to our philosophy of truly focusing on the principles working to prevent dental problems by getting to the bottom of contributing sources to dental problems, educating individuals and developing custom care plans for prevention. We are successful when people are successful at not just keeping teeth, but keeping them free from trouble. Educationally, there are essentially four primary categories of dental problems we must recognize that contribute to gum issues and tooth loss:
- Tooth decay
- Gum disease
- Biofunctional disorders
- Medical conditions contributing to dental problems
It is easy, due to the complexities of marketing and advertising, coupled with the vast varieties of oral health tools and products available, to become confused about what products and routines are the most clinically effective to avoid dental issues. That is where the advice and direction of your health care provider become valuable assets in the fight against dental issues. It has always been our primary focus to make sure patients have a clear understanding of causative factors of dental issues and an even clearer understanding of the right products and routines to specifically prevent the potential oral and dental issues that they are at greatest risk for.
Through this care approach, we have been able to help many individuals with long histories of plaguing dental problems to successfully manage and stabilize their oral health, in a meaningful way. “Prevention is king!” While prevention requires a proactive mindset, the benefits are huge. Prevention and early detection of dental issues ultimately translate into reduced trauma to teeth and gums, prolonged life of teeth and a marked decrease in lifetime dental expense.
Because we feel all people deserve to have success in oral health, I will be sharing with you the secret to our protocols that have made us successful in dentistry as we coach our patients to successfully avoid issues and treatment needs, not just avoid tooth loss. In upcoming QCBN issues, through this “Secrets to a Healthy Smile” series of articles, I intend to delve into each major category of contributing factors to oral issues. I will share with you, in a clear and organized way, the most important symptoms to recognize and the tips, tricks and advanced techniques and technologies to prevent and treat simple, as well as complex dental issues. As the articles are printed in upcoming issues, they also will be available both in print and online at quadcitiesbusinessnews.com and www.ApiDentalRehab.com. QCBN
The mission at the Advanced Prosthetics Institute is to provide full and partial mouth restoration and dental rehabilitation to produce a normal, functional anatomy of the mouth. Our focus is to provide individualized personal care for patients with malocclusions and biofunctional disorders who are continuously plagued with unaddressed oral health issues. API’s goal is to allow people to feel whole again, or for the first time, while establishing confidence in their esthetics and ability to function normally. Learn more about API at www.ApiDentalRehab.com. We are committed to providing educational opportunities to our community to empower you to have the healthy smile you deserve! For more information regarding our upcoming seminars and/or to schedule a consultation, please contact our office 928-776-0239. You can also learn more about the general dentistry services we provide through Jason C Campbell, DDS, Cosmetic and Family Dentistry at www.MyPrescottDentist.com.
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