Community Education

Chances are that all your life you have heard tips and advice on keeping your teeth strong and your mouth healthy.  Visiting your dentist and hygienist every 6 months for a check-up and cleaning are important measures to get early treatment for any problems that might arise.  Your hygienist can give you tips about improving your cleaning techniques to avoid cavities and gum disease.

Dental decay is preventable, and all teeth are important.  Once a child experiences decay, even just a small cavity on a baby tooth, he will be fighting against further tooth decay for the rest of his life.  Most dental issues are caused by bacteria and shared by kissing or sharing spoons or cups.  Cavities are contagious!

Preventing cavities is easy to keep in mind: brush your teeth after meals – no less than twice a day for two minutes each time – and floss every day.  Using fluoride in toothpaste and supplements makes teeth more resistant to decay.

Oral Health Basics
Source: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Sugary beverages: Do you know the TOOTH about sugary beverages? They may taste sweet, but they can be harmful to your children’s teeth. Sugar-sweetened beverages can cause tooth decay, which often leads to cavities that need to be treated by a dentist. It can be surprising to learn how many drinks contain sugar.

To learn how to spot the sugar and find out how much sugar is in your favorite drink, visit Rethink-Your-Drink website.

Rethink-Your-Drink
Source: Cal Fresh Healthy Living, California Department of Public Health 

Drink more water: Dentists agree, drinking too much added sugar daily is a leading cause of tooth decay and cavities. Find tips and recipes to drink more water. Unlike sugary drinks, water is packed with benefits for our bodies instead of added sugars. It’s good for our brains, skin and overall well-being. Whether you like it chilled, bubbly, iced or fruit-infused, make water your family’s drink whenever possible. 

Drink more water
Source: Cal Fresh Healthy Living, California Department of Public Health

Student Community Health Workers present dental health information at a wellness event at the Sonoma County Family YMCA.

Public Dental Health is the assessment of dental health needs and improving the dental health of populations rather than individuals. The focus is on health equity and addressing systematic barriers. Examples can be building a strong network of providers for everyone to access care, or adding fluoride to the water supply so that drinking water will help protect the community from dental decay. These systems improve the dental health for every person of any age.

Connect to the Sonoma County Oral Health Program for more information on making your community healthier.