Common Myths About Preventative Dental Care in McLean

As a provider of preventative dental care in McLean, we spend much time with patients, and one thing that is clear is how much most people do not know about dentistry. Even those who are fastidious about brushing and flossing are often operating under false premises. For example, generations of kids have gone to bed with a cup of milk. Since there is calcium in milk, parents have thought that this was healthy. The problem is that milk is full of sugar, and by drinking it at bedtime, that sugar stayed on their teeth. For plenty of kids, this resulted in baby bottle tooth decay. This is only one example of how a dental myth can be bad for you. Here are a few more:

• Myth – Diet soda is okay for the teeth

  Not exactly. Diet soda does not have the high quantities of sugar found in normal soda, and that is a good thing. It does, however, contain large amounts of acid, and acid can erode your teeth. People who drink larger quantities of diet soda because they think it is healthy can actually be harming their teeth. If you drink soda of any kind, we recommend that you rinse your mouth afterward and brush your teeth with a fluoride toothpaste three times a day.

• Myth – The raw diet is good for teeth

  This type of diet can also be highly acidic since it contains a lot of fruit. As a provider of preventative dental care, we recommend that after you eat anything acidic, you rinse out your mouth. If you are starting a new diet, we invite you to schedule an appointment with our dental office, so we can look at the foods it includes and let you know how the diet could impact your oral health.

• Myth – Flossing is not necessary on a daily basis

  As a provider of preventative dental care in McLean, we focus on preventing gum disease. The best way to do so is by flossing on a daily basis. It is critical that you do so in order to remove food particles and plaque that have gathered between the teeth and around the gumline. The gums can trap plaque causing the gums to swell, irritation, bleeding and eventually gum disease when left untreated.

• Myth – Root canals are only for infected teeth

  In our dental office, we perform root canals to treat teeth that have become infected and roots that have become damaged. It is possible to damage a root by grinding your teeth at night, being in an accident, or having too much dental work done in quick succession. This makes it important to be cautious when planning a full smile makeover, playing sports, etc. If you ever do need a root canal, we can complete it in a way that is entirely comfortable.