It doesn’t take much for false information to circulate, gain traction, and motivate people’s behaviors, for better or worse. It’s our job as dentists to address misinformation, especially if we think it’s going to stand in the way of people getting the kind of treatment they need to maintain good oral health.
If our team at Cupertino Family Dental has anything to say about it, we don’t want to let dental myths continue to keep anyone from having the healthy smile they deserve!
3 Dental Myths That Can Get In The Way Of Your Oral Health
Here are three dental myths your Cupertino dentist needs you to know about so they don’t keep you from having a healthy mouth and beautiful smile:
Myth #1 – Bleeding Gums Are Normal
The only possible reason that bleeding gums would be normal is if you were a cage fighter of some sort!
But otherwise, no, your gums aren’t supposed to bleed!
This is one of the most common signs of gum disease, and ignoring it or assuming it’s a normal characteristic of the daily brushing and flossing process would put your oral and overall health at great risk.
If you notice any changes to your gums, in fact, like swelling, redness, or sores, you should contact your Cupertino dentist right away for gum disease treatment.
We will perform scaling and root planing to deeply clean your gums and remove the bad bacteria, and we can continue this therapy routinely over the next several months until your gums have been restored back to health. If your gums have receded more severely, we can also perform a non-invasive surgery to place healthier tissue over those areas that have been damaged by gum disease.
Myth #2 – Only Metal Braces Can Straighten Teeth
This may have been true up until recently, but now, there are so many more orthodontic options available to patients of all ages.
The best part about that is new innovations in orthodontics have led to faster, more discreet treatments like clear aligner braces you can barely see! With ClearCorrect, you have a new set of custom aligners you switch to every couple of weeks that gently, and quickly, move your teeth into the right position. This can be wrapped up in about a year, and all the while, you can remove the aligners so that your orthodontic treatment doesn’t force you to make all kinds of changes to your diet and oral hygiene routine.
Myth #3 – Root Canals Only Put Your Health At Risk
It’s hard to believe that this particular myth has persisted for as long as it has!
But it can be traced back nearly a century to one claim by one doctor who suggested that root canal treatments release toxins into the body and could lead to serious health complications.
Since then, even though decades of research and practical experience hasn’t shown this to be true, people still tend to believe it.
The reality is that root canals actually protect the body from the infection inside your tooth from spreading. We disinfect the inner part of the tooth that’s infected and then seal it up to keep it safe from bacteria in the future.
Schedule An Appointment!
When you take myths about oral health and dental treatments seriously, you could be missing out on important services and levels of care that could improve your smile and your health overall.
Don’t let that happen!
Get the truth about keeping your mouth healthy from our team of experienced professionals in Cupertino!
Call Cupertino Family Dental today or fill out our online form to schedule an appointment for your next dental cleaning and exam.
