The Importance of Oral Preventive Care

Preventive dental care is the foundation of good dental and general health - for infants, children, adults, and seniors. Good oral health contributes to good nutrition, self-esteem, quality of life and protection from systemic infection and injury, as well as the ability to taste, chew, swallow and speak clearly. On the other hand poor oral health has been linked to the following illnesses or conditions: diabetes, respiratory illness and cardiovascular disease. Despite the link of the above conditions to poor oral health there are still many Americans who do not receive oral health care.

Oral diseases are among the most common disorders, resulting in 189 million hours of work lost and 51 million hours of school missed per year. Despite remarkable advances in preventive dentistry, several large subpopulations of persons remain without adequate oral health care. Major barriers to oral health include socioeconomic factors, such as lack of dental insurance or the inability to pay out of pocket. While 44 million Americans lack medical insurance, about 108 million lack dental insurance. Only 60 percent of baby boomers receive dental insurance through their employers, and most older workers lose their dental insurance at retirement.

Therefore, exercising preventive oral care can and will help you avoid more costly dental problems that can develop or be worsened by lack of basic preventive care. That's why it pays to see the dentist for routine checkups in order to save yourself the cost, as well as the pain, of advanced dental disease or other related general health diseases.