According to research from the American Dental Association, men are far less likely than women to seek preventative dental care, and often neglect their dental health for years at a time. This is becoming a serious issue within the dental industry and is something that it’s important to raise awareness of.

Their research also showed that the average man is less likely to brush his teeth as regularly as he should do, and while women are 28.7% likely to brush their teeth after every meal, men are only 20.5% likely to do the same. In addition, the study showed that men are more likely to have untreated dental damage than women are, with 29% of men likely to have untreated dental damage compared to just 25% of women.

What’s the benefit of taking a proactive approach to dental healthcare?

Dental evidence suggests that there is a link between gum disease and dental health problems and cardiovascular disease, which increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Because of the risk that’s linked to gum disease, it’s important that men – and women too – take a proactive and preventative approach to dental healthcare, preventing dental problems from occurring wherever possible.

Another benefit of taking a proactive approach to dental health is the fact that you can help to manage issues with dental aesthetics by acting early when you notice an issue. Whether it’s a wonky tooth – or line of teeth – or staining that’s occurring, by acting early you can make the issue easier to fix. For example, for wonky teeth, utilizing StraightMyTeeth clear aligners could be an option worth considering. Or, for stained teeth, undergoing a teeth whitening procedure could be worth looking into.

What are some of the risk factors for dental health problems?

In addition to gum disease being a reason to take extra care of your teeth, there are certain circumstances that call for additional vigilance. These include anyone who is taking certain medications, such as heart or blood pressure medications, for instance, it also includes anyone who smokes or chews tobacco, and anyone who plays a lot of sports – this is because actively playing a lot of sports increases the risk of regular trauma to your mouth and teeth.

What conditions are associated with poor dental health?

There are a number of health conditions that are associated with poor dental health, these include:

• Prostate issues
• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Heart Disease
• Impotence

The importance of making changes

If you’re someone who doesn’t take their dental health seriously, then it’s important to take steps to change that and take a more proactive approach to your dental health. You may be wondering how you go about doing that – believe it or not, it’s far easier than you would think, it’s just a case of getting into a number of dental healthcare habits.

These habits include:

See your dentist regularly: It’s important that you make it a priority to see your dentist for checkups at least twice a year. The reason that having regular dental checkups is so important is so that should an issue be found, it can be treated more quickly before further damage to your tooth, gums and mouth is done. Your dentist can check the general health of your teeth, mouth and gums and will tell you what steps you can take to make your mouth healthier.

Brush your teeth twice a day for two minutes each time: Did you know that the leading cause of tooth and gum problems is failing to clean your teeth regularly enough? If you want to take care of your teeth, gums and mouth, then you need to ensure that you are brushing your teeth at least twice a day for two minutes each time. A great step to take to make timing this easier is to invest in an electric toothbrush that has a two-minute timer on it – that way you know how long you’ve brushed for.

Floss every day: Flossing your teeth removes plaque from between your teeth and helps to prevent cavities from occurring in between them, in the places where your toothbrush cannot reach.

Rinse with mouthwash: Once you’ve brushed your teeth and used your floss, then the next step in your dental care routine should be to rinse your mouth with mouthwash, enhancing your protection from cavities further. However, in order to be effective, you need to use a mouthwash that contains fluoride, otherwise it will wash all of the protection away.

Chew sugar-free gum: Between meals, consider chewing sugar-free gum. Chewing gum can help to improve your breath and can increase your saliva levels, which can help to protect your teeth from cavities because it rinses away food particles and bacteria.

Stop smoking: If you’re a smoker, it’s important that you consider quitting. Not only can smoking cause a wide number of respiratory issues including lung cancer, but it can also negatively impact your dental health and increase your likelihood of a range of mouth cancers. If you’re a smoker – or you chew tobacco products – consider seeking support to quit.

Live healthier: If you want your mouth to be healthy, you need to be healthy – this means following a healthier diet, drinking plenty of water, and getting plenty of exercise. If you’re not sure how to adjust your routine, consider speaking with your doctor about how you can take steps to lead a healthier life and improve your general health and overall wellbeing through making some simple lifestyle changes.

Various studies show that men are far more likely than women not only to not take their dental health seriously but also to not seek help when they notice a dental health problem. The issue is that when it comes to dental problems, these dental health issues can be linked to a range of other, far more serious health problems, which is why getting dental issues treated and staying on top of your dental health and oral hygiene is so important. Hopefully, the tips and advice above will help you to do that.