Most people deal with the occasional cavity, bout with gum disease, or other dental problem. But sometimes, you start to notice a pattern in your family. Maybe everyone has had cavities in their molars lately, or perhaps you've all had bloody gums and gum disease. When the problem extends through the whole family, often the solution needs to do the same! Here are some ways your family dentist can address a few common family-wide dental issues.
Cavities in the Molars
If everyone in your home is getting cavities in their back molars, that means you're all struggling to brush your back teeth well enough. It's common for this issue to run in families. If you have deep grooves in your back molars, they'll hold onto bacteria that can cause cavities — and your child probably inherited those deep grooves! Plus, if you do not do a great job of brushing your molars, and you taught your kids how to brush, they may do a similarly poor job of brushing.
Consider asking your family dentist to sit down with all of you and show you how to do a better job of brushing in the back! They can demonstrate on you, and your kids can all watch. Then, as a family, you can brush your teeth together and remind each other to focus on the back.
Gum Disease
If you're all developing gum disease, then you're probably all flossing insufficiently. Flossing can be tough for kids, and also for adults, especially if your teeth are really close together. Your dentist may be able to recommend a thinner floss you can all use. They may also recommend a water flosser device, which can shoot a powerful stream of water between your teeth to clear away the gunk. You can use this yourself and also help your children use it.
Cavities and Weak Enamel
What if you are all developing a lot of cavities all around, or if everyone is experiencing enamel erosion? Then, the issue may be that you're all not getting enough fluoride. You need fluoride for strong enamel and to prevent cavities. Tap water contains fluoride, but if you are all drinking bottled water, you may not be getting enough. Or, if you are using a toothpaste that does not contain fluoride, that could be the explanation! Your family dentist can recommend a fluoride toothpaste and rinse for you all to use.
If everyone in your family has the same dental problems, then this is something to bring to the attention of your dentist! They can help figure out what's going wrong and then work with you to fix it.
For more information, visit a website like https://valleyoakdentalgroup.com/.
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