According to the American Dental Association, the overwhelming majority of people in the United States – men, women, and children – are living with some kind of dental health issue that they aren’t even aware of.

Sure, most of us visit the dentist regularly (at least for an annual checkup and especially when we’re dealing with an oral health problems that we notice or one that impacts our day-to-day lives), but most of us try to avoid the dentist is much as we can. There’s just something about sitting on that chair with a giant light above us with a man or woman poking around in our mouths that we aren’t all that comfortable with.

Unfortunately, dental health issues and oral health issues can have a transformative impact the rest of your body, which is why you need to address these issues ASAP before they have a chance to really do a number on you. This is why it’s so important to visit your dentist at least once a year for a checkup, and why it is so critical that you follow accepted guidelines for maintaining and improving oral health as closely as humanly possible.

That means brushing twice daily, using the right toothbrush and toothpaste, flossing like it’s your job, and falling back in love with fluoride. Regular cleanings at the dental office wouldn’t hurt, either!

And if you think you may be dealing with some of the dangerous dental health issues that millions and millions of Americans are living with right now, you’re going to want to pay attention to the details we have for you below.

Let’s jump right in!

Abscessed tooth

And abscessed tooth is essentially an infection that starts at the “pulp” of your tooth before it settles into the root (usually right up against the jawbone) before it creates a swollen and pus filled pocket on your guns.

Most people that are dealing with abscessed teeth notice it almost immediately, as this is one of the most painful dental health issues you’ll ever come across. It’s going to make chewing really difficult, it can induce pain and fevers, and it can cause a world of bad breath that is almost impossible to kick.

Most of the time, as assessed teeth can be addressed without too much trouble, but those that get more serious are going to need to have the tooth removed, or even a root canal performed.

Cavities

Probably the most common type of dental health issue that almost everyone has had to deal with once or twice in their lives, cavities affect everyone (young and old) pretty equally.

Essentially pockets of damaged tooth enamel that are formed when acid eats away at the tooth, cavities are dangerous because they are hotbeds for bacteria to grow in. They carry absolutely love these little pockets, and they multiplied like crazy – producing a bunch of acid in the process that works to continue to erode the teeth away even more!

Small and superficial cavities can be filled in with fillings (metal-based or synthetic to match the color of your teeth), but bigger cavities they require a crown to be placed on top of the tooth or (in some extreme cases) the tooth to be removed completely.

Dry sockets

Teeth that have been removed (or teeth that have been knocked out) are usually going to have their position “in-line” grown over with new gum material if they do not have a replacement put in the space in time.

However, sometimes the gums aren’t going to grow over that space because the blood clot that builds up in that socket dissipates or is reabsorbed into the body too quickly. If that happens, a dry socket situation is going to occur, and that’s bad news for sure.

The nerves that run underneath the teeth are going to be exposed, and you’re talking about one of the more painful experiences a person can ever have to go through. Dry sockets are going to need to be addressed ASAP by a professional, and are usually result by a quick cleaning, a local anesthetic and anti-inflammatory/pain pills, and a specially designed bandage that keeps the socket moist and protected from outside interference.

Gingivitis

There are some reports that suggest almost 80% of all adults in the United States are dealing with at least a mild case of gingivitis, and honestly the figure could be even higher.

This is a gum disease caused by bacteria that infects the gums and your teeth, and usually causes try mouth sensations, bad breath, guns that book red and swollen, and even a lot of pain. Gum disease is almost always reversible (especially during the early stages), but it needs to be addressed before it has the opportunity to really spiral out of control.

There aren’t too terribly many of us out there that are going to cop to committing crimes against our mouths, even though the American Dental Association would report that almost all of us are abusing our smiles far more often than we like to think.

Sure, some of us are just ignorant of the fact that we are really doing a number on our teeth and our mouths, having absolutely no idea whatsoever that the decisions we make every day in regards to our oral health aren’t exactly helping out. But some of us know that we are making at least a handful of oral health mistakes, but we just don’t know how to fix them!

That’s what we’re going to try and remedy right now.

Proper oral hygiene is absolutely mission critical today. Not only is it the only way to guarantee that you have a brilliant and almost blindingly white smile, but it’s also the only way to make sure that your teeth don’t literally rot right out of your head – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to oral health issues.

If you’re going to have any chance whatsoever at making sure that your smile stays in tip top shape you’re going to need to focus on reeling in the mistakes that you’re making and really putting forth a conscious effort to stop committing crimes against your mouth.

Let’s break down some of the biggest culprits!

Brushing too much is almost as bad as brushing too little

Even though you wouldn’t be alone in thinking that brushing your teeth more than the recommended twice daily would help you scrub your teeth perfectly clean all day long, nothing could be further from the truth.

Sure, you have much cleaner teeth and a really clean smile, but after time all of that brushing is going to really start to wear down on the surface of your smile. Teeth are inherently pretty soft and are protected by just a thin layer of enamel. If you keep scrubbing them (even with a soft toothbrush) you’re eventually going to erode the protection that they have on the outer layer, and then you’re really going to be in trouble!

So avoid brushing for or five times a day, and instead try to stick to two and maybe three times. You’ll be much better off!

You aren’t supposed to be scrubbing with sandpaper

A lot of people out there are and the impression that they have to really scrub their teeth clean every chance they get. This almost always causes them to purchase bristles that are way too stiff and abrasive, but also almost forces and compelled them to apply more than a little bit of elbow grease when they are actually brushing.

That’s the last thing that you want to do.

Yes, you want to make sure that you are brushing your teeth firmly and quickly, but you aren’t going to want to try and resurface your teeth with a toothbrush! Slow things down a bit, really try to hit that two or three minute timeline with easy, gentle strokes and soft bristles, and you’ll be off to the races!

You have to brush more than your “chewing teeth”

A lot of people out there are under the impression that they don’t have toothbrush every square inch of their teeth, but instead the “business end” – the parts of your teeth that actually come into contact with whatever it is you were chewing that day.

Do not fall into that trap.

Every surface of your teeth needs to be cleaned as often as twice a day. Not only are you going to want to brush every surface of your teeth, but you’re also going to want to break out the floss and get in between all of the cracks and crevices. That’s the only way that you’re going to be able to protect your teeth from damage, and the only way that you’re going to be able to make sure that your smile stays just as blindingly white and healthy as humanly possible.

Stop brushing right after you eat

It’s become pretty popular to brush right after you eat, but you may actually be doing a lot more harm than good.

If there are any little bits of food left over on the surface of your teeth (even microscopic and all but invisible bits of food) they are going to act as little bits of sandpaper – taking the surface of the enamel of your teeth right off with each and every brush stroke.

That’s the last thing that you want to do.

Instead, give yourself 30 or 40 minutes after eating to kind of dissolve everything on your teeth (your saliva will do all of the heavy lifting for you) before you even think about grabbing a toothbrush.

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It’s either the white jackets that they wear or the professional medical offices they operate out of that makes us almost inherently trust dentists with the health of our smiles – even if we’ve never visited them in the past.

Whatever it is, you would definitely be better off if you remained at least a little bit skeptical when visiting a new dentist, if only to make sure that they aren’t committing any one of the common mistakes dentists make today.

This information is especially useful for you if you’ve recently switched dental offices, moved to a new area and needed to find a new dentist, or just weren’t all that happy with the last dental professional you worked with. This is the kind of inside information that you’ll be able to use to better guide you to the perfect fit for a professional that will help make sure your smile stays just as happy and healthy as humanly possible.

If you’re able to avoid the common mistakes that dentists make today, you should be in pretty solid shape, and won’t have any reason whatsoever to fear your dentist. If you don’t take the time to make sure that your dentist isn’t making these same mistakes, you might be in for a sticky situation!

Try not to work with dentists that get worked up by problem patients

A lot of dentists in the US today are willing to work with pretty much anyone and everyone they can just to keep their offices open, but these are the kinds of dental experts that you’re going to want to try and avoid as much as possible.

You see, you have to look at it this way. If your dentist is used to dealing with difficult people all day, the odds are pretty good that they’re going to be stressed out, agitated, and all kinds of anxious – and who wants someone like that poking around in their mouths?

Try not to work with dentists that do not treat their staff well

You can definitely tell a lot about a person by looking at the way that they treat those that they are responsible for or in charge of. If you are visiting a new dental office for the first time, definitely try and spend a little bit of time there focusing on the kinds of interactions that the dentist their staff.

While it may not be possible to understand the full breadth and depth of the different relationships that are going on under the surface of people that work together every business day (maybe four years and years) by observing from afar for 15 or 20 minutes, you may be able to spot some issues that may or may not make you completely comfortable moving forward.

This is critical inside information that you aren’t going to get anywhere else, and it’s definitely something that can help you decide on whether or not a particular dental office is the right fit.

Try not to work with dentists that haven’t built up a reputation in the community just yet

Though there are certainly some fantastic first time dentists out there, and there’s definitely something to be said about dental professionals that have just now graduated from a dental training program and dental school (they are almost always up-to-date on the latest and greatest solutions, procedures, and technology), you never want to be someone’s guinea pig.

If at all possible, try to work with established dental offices in your area to ones with rock solid reputations for delivering quality results at a reasonable rate. This is the kind of information that you’ll be able to dig up on the Internet, as well as the kind of info that you’ll be able to pick from the minds of the people in your social circle.

Ask your friends and family members for dental recommendations, speak your coworkers about the dentists that they visit, and always try to get a feel for the dentists that have their names come up quite frequently. These are the kinds of dentists that you’ll want to think about working with, or at least the dentist that you want to research more thoroughly.

Try not to work with dentists that do not have in-house financing plans

Even though the odds are pretty good that your dental insurance is going to cover the procedures that you have taken care of, if you’re looking to have any cosmetic work done – or aren’t carrying your own dental insurance – you’ll need to take advantage of the financing options that your dentists provide.

If they do not have in-house financing plans (take your of the financing themselves), the odds are pretty good that they’re going to farm them out to third party companies. If they go that direction, you’re almost always going to pay through the nose when it comes to interest rates, and your repayment terms probably aren’t going to be all that friendly, either.

It’s definitely something to think about.