Nonetheless, it's always best to keep your original teeth if at all possible and to favor prevention over cure when it comes to oral health.
Oral Health Awareness Is For Children
The American Dental Association has helped promote a whole month (February) as "Children's Dental Health Month" for good reason: too many children have poor oral health and too many parents don't seem to be overly concerned about it.
Another reason is that, if you learn good oral health habits early in life, it's much easier to continue them as you get older.
By educating kids early in life about the potential consequences of poor oral hygiene - tooth loss, gum disease, halitosis (chronic bad breath), and even inflammations and diseases in other parts of the body, we do much to improve the US oral health levels of the future.
Oral Health Awareness Is For Adults
But oral and dental health isn't just for kids, it's for everybody! And that's why a different month (June) has been designated as "Oral Health Month."
As we age, the risks of periodontal disease and tooth loss increase dramatically. In fact, most US adults have had some stage or another of gum disease at least once in their life, and many of them continue with such conditions rather than correcting and reversing them.
Both regular, proper brushing, flossing, and use of antiseptic mouth rinse and regular (twice annually is recommended by the ADA) dental check ups do wonders for identifying dental/oral health problems early and treating them effectively when diagnosed.
Whose Responsibility Is Oral Health Awareness?
Good oral health is a shared responsibility of several parties. First of all, it's a personal responsibility of each individual to be concerned about and properly care for their teeth and gums.
But when it comes to children, it's clearly the job of parents to promote oral health awareness. It's important to share information with your kids on how to keep up a healthy mouth and also to lead them by example when it comes to oral hygiene.
And finally, emphasizing and promoting oral health is the job of every dental practitioner, from general dentist to periodontist to every other specialty area. You should expect your family dental care provider(s) to be an expert at maintaining excellent oral and dental health late into life and at keeping all your natural teeth as long as possible.
We can certainly say that organizations like the ADA and other dental groups share in the responsibility to up the oral health and oral health awareness level of Americans, but the real implementation of all these organizations fight for must be done at the local, family, and individual levels.
To learn more about good oral and dental health, contact periodontist Dr. Raymond A. Kenzik at his widely-respected practice in Ormond Beach, FL, today!