Taking Care of Your Teeth

Oral health is about your teeth, gums, and mouth. Bad oral health can cause infections and other problems for your whole body. There are a lot of germs that live in your mouth. If you don’t take care of your mouth, your teeth and gums can get infected and cause you pain. Germs can enter your blood and make other parts of your body sick too. Taking good care of your oral health will even help prevent problems like diabetes and heart disease. It is important for everyone, including children, to take good care of their teeth and gums.

It’s a good idea to brush your teeth with a toothbrush 2 times a day for 2 minutes. You should brush all areas of your teeth and use toothpaste that has fluoride in it.
Fluoride is a natural mineral that strengthens teeth and prevents cavities, which are holes in your teeth.

Dental floss is a special string that helps clean the tight spaces between your teeth. You should use dental floss once a day. Brushing and using dental floss removes plaque. Plaque is a sticky layer on your teeth that can cause cavities, if you don’t clean it off. Plaque is mostly made of germs.

It’s important to start taking care of children’s teeth when they are babies. Children should start seeing the dentist when they are 1 year old or 6 months after they get their first tooth.

Children under 3 years old should only use a small amount of toothpaste, about the size of a grain of rice. When your child is able to spit, you can increase the amount of toothpaste to the size of a pea.

Help your child brush their teeth until they have good brushing skills. If your child is younger than 6 years, watch them while they brush. Make sure they always spit out the toothpaste rather than swallowing it.

You can use mouthwash too. Mouthwash is a liquid that you swish around in your mouth to help clean your teeth, freshen your breath, and kill germs.

Drinking water after eating helps clean your mouth and teeth by rinsing away food particles. Everyone should avoid drinking sugary drinks, like soda, energy drinks, and juices as the sugar in them can cause tooth decay. Decay is damage to a tooth that can cause a cavity.

Tobacco can cause problems with your teeth and mouth, and can make decay and infections worse.

Visiting the dentist every 6 months for a check-up and cleaning is important for keeping your mouth healthy. Even if you haven’t noticed any problems, regular visits help catch issues early and prevent them from getting worse.

If you have any of these problems with your teeth, call a dentist.
Toothache
Bleeding gums
Pain or discomfort when you chew food or drink hot or cold drinks
Jaw pain
Loose teeth (if you are an adult)

Pain or problems with your teeth won’t go away on their own. Decay and infection can spread to other teeth and other parts of your body. You should go to the dentist as soon as you notice a problem. Often a problem can be solved quickly and other problems can be prevented.

Any dental office that accepts Medicaid is required to provide an interpreter if you need one. When you make your appointment, tell them what language you speak and that you would like an interpreter.

When you visit the dentist they might ask you if you are taking any medications. Please bring a list of the medications you are taking, or take pictures of your pill bottles.

At the dentist you will see someone who is called a dental hygienist. They will check and clean your teeth and gums using special tools. They may take x-rays of your teeth to help the dentist see everything clearly. You will also see the dentist, who will check your teeth and fix any problems using special tools.

The tools may include:
Mirror to look inside your mouth
Special tool called a probe to check the health of your gums.
Water to rinse your teeth
Suction tool to remove the water and other particles from your mouth
Dental floss to clean between your teeth
Dental drill to get rid of the decayed part of your tooth
X-ray bite pads so the hygienist can take x-rays off your teeth

Tell the hygienist and dentist about any dental problems you have now or have had in the past. Ask questions if you do not understand what the dentist is doing.

Sometimes your dentist will send you to an oral surgeon. This is a person who has special skills to help fix more challenging problems with your teeth.

It is often hard to find a dentist. Often you have to wait a long time to get an appointment. Ask your family doctor or case manager, if you have one, for help finding a dentist.You can also ask a friend or family member for the name of their dentist.

Some schools have dental care for children at the school. Ask your child’s school nurse or teacher for more information or help finding a dentist for your child.

Dental care can cost a lot of money. There are several ways to pay for the dentist including paying with your own money.

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