If you ask anyone on the street whether they would like to get punched in the face or visit the dentist, odds are they would tell you to swing away. If you ask them about their decision in a little more detail, they would most likely share a story of a bad experience they had at the dentist at some point in their life.
At the same time, if you asked someone what the first physical thing they find attractive about someone is, they would probably say that person’s smile. So, who is responsible for that person’s attractive smile? Well, of course, the person with the nice smile is responsible for keeping their teeth clean and flossing regularly, but aside from that, the person responsible for they beautiful smiles you see in the world is the dentist.
From long ago until recently, dentists have not enjoyed the best of reputations. That is because technology and science severely limited what dentists could do with a bad tooth or series of teeth. The default mode for a bad tooth was to pull it out. That is fine for kids, but we only get two sets of teeth. Once the big ones come in, that’s all we get.
Many of us don’t realize what actually damages our teeth in our day to day lives. Many of us drink sports drinks and assorted energy drinks. What we probably do not know is that drinking energy drinks such as Red Bull and Monster can wear the enamel off your teeth and do it at twice they rate of sports drinks, like Gatorade and Powerade.
The first thing a dentist for children will tell the children and their parents is that sugary drinks will rot your teeth. Tooth decay is as real as anything, and dentists who care about you and your teeth will help you safeguard the ones you have.
In addition to sports and energy drinks, dentists will tell you what times of liquids are healthy for your teeth. Many bottled water companies put fluoride in their water, but not many of us know just how much. A Journal of Pediatric Dentistry study in 2012 showed that 65% of parents using bottled water didn’t know how much fluoride each bottle contained.
But you don’t care as much about dentists and what they can tell you. Your concern is whether or not their procedures hurt. Well, the great thing about science, especially in the world of dentistry, is that it is always moving forward. Now, more than ever before, dentists are doing procedures where the patients feel no pain. They feel no pain because they are under sedation. This is being used in adults and, more and more, in pediatric cases as well.
In our modern America, there is no reason to fear the dentist anymore. Sit down and talk with one and let them explain to you how you can keep the teeth you came in with.