Most Americans know that you are supposed to brush twice per day and floss once per day. Many do not know why or what would happen if they quit brushing and flossing. At Ponte Vedra Complete Dentistry, we care about our patient’s oral health and understand that education about oral health can save money, time, and headaches. Our dental blog is a forum for dental education. If you would like to learn more, feel free to visit past blog topics.
The two main diseases that are seen in dentistry are caries and periodontal disease. You may not be as familiar with the term caries as you are with cavities. The cavity is simply a physical manifestation of caries. Caries is tooth decay. Periodontal disease is gum disease. While many human diseases can not be predicted or prevented, caries and gum disease can be prevented and treated. While there are many different methods of prevention for these two diseases, staying away from treatment of these diseases begins with brushing and flossing.
Knowing that so much of this is preventable, below is some information and statistics that we find troubling;
- According to the CDC, tooth decay affects more than 25% of US children. This is active disease in the mouths of more than one quarter of our children.
- Nearly half of Americans suffer from gum disease.
- Advanced gum disease (where a significant amount of bone loss has occurred) exists in 4-12% of our population
- Half of the cases of advanced gum disease in our country are a result of cigarette smoking
- Around 25% of adults in this country 65 and older have no remaining teeth
- According to a study that looked at over 10 million dental insurance plans, nearly 20% of participants had a cavity filled in 2013. More than 30% of participants did not see the dentist that year. Think about the number of people walking around with active untreated oral disease!
- People with diabetes have a significantly higher risk of periodontal disease than those without
- Gum disease significantly increases the risk for heart disease. At this time, inflammation appears to be the main culprit.
- Several studies have found links between the prevalence of gum disease and stroke.
- Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease of childhood
- Children in America cumulatively miss 750,000 days of school each year due to dental problems. This is more days than are missed from the flu!