It’s understandable to have the urge to avoid a dentist. After all, it’s hard to trust someone who wields a variety of pointy objects that exist for the sole purpose of being stuck in your mouth. However, you may find it easier to find dentist care you can trust once you put into perspective just how far dental technology has come since the beginning of civilization. Think you have a hard time preventing cavities? Just wait until you hear these stories of survival!
1. The first known devices to be used as toothbrushes date as far back as 3500 BCE. Back then, Babylonians utilized twigs from aromatic trees as “chewing sticks,” and would chew one end until it became ragged in order to clean their teeth. Try finding affordable dental care then!
2. The first mass produced toothbrush was not designed until 1780. An English prisoner, unable to find dentist, managed to drill small holes into a cattle bone, then used bunches of boar bristles to plug them, and finally glued them in place. Still think dental practice is intimidating?
3. Toothpaste and other tooth powders did not become widely available until the 19th century. Before then, one method used in the days of the Greeks and Romans involved using crushed bones and oyster shells as abrasive ingredients. Thankfully, tooth enamel is the hardest surface in the whole human body, or cosmetic dentists would be a lot more costly.
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But nowadays, it doesn’t have to be a pain whenever you have to find dentist. Though you shouldn’t do this in place of regular checkups, costly dental work can be easily avoided with the following preventative steps:
1. Of all the people with persistent halitosis, or bad breath, 85% have some kind of dental condition responsible for it. Bacteria can build up in toothbrush bristles. To avoid this, try rinsing your toothbrush with hot water after every use. Also remember to change your toothbrush every three months, or whenever you get sick.
2. Cutting down on sugary drinks can also cut down on your need to find dentist work. People who consume three or more glasses of soda per day experience 62% more tooth decay, fillings and tooth loss in comparison to others.
3. It can be easy to fall behind on dental treatment. In 2010, only 60% of adults ages 18 to 64 reported making a dental visit in the past year. Don’t want until the last minute to find dentist care – regular checkups help prevent the need for serious dental surgery.
Don’t be frightened. Learn from history, and you’ll find dentist visits to be a huge step up from the trial and error of the past. For more information, read this website.
