Halloween doesn’t feel complete without a spooky story or two, and this time of year even people who aren’t ordinarily all that interested in horror can’t seem to resist.
Despite what many may think, dentists aren’t normally trying to scare their patients. After all, the more unpleasant the experience someone has in their office, the less likely that they’ll come back. However, in the spirit of the Halloween season, you might want to hear some of the scarier stats you won’t normally get from dentists. Here are a few examples.
Scary Stats to Tell in the Dark
If you asked most people, they’d probably tell you that they’re in fairly good oral health. However, the fact is that most people are dealing with some kind of problem with their teeth, gums, or jaw. When you look at the stats, the rates of the most common oral health problems can be shocking.
It’s estimated that around 91% of adults have either treated or untreated cavities, meaning that a vast majority of people will have to deal with it at some point in their life. This makes tooth decay the most common chronic health condition among adults in the U.S. Moreover, around 27% of adults have tooth decay that hasn’t been treated.
Gum disease is also unfortunately extremely common, with around 47% of adults having it to some extent. This also becomes much more common over time—among seniors, that number skyrockets to 70%.
What to Do with This Information
Your takeaway from these statistics should be that no one is immune to oral health problems. If you want to keep your teeth in great shape, you’ll have to take an active role in your oral health. If you aren’t already, you should make sure that you’re brushing twice a day and flossing daily.
You may also want to schedule regular checkups with your dentist so that they can check on the overall integrity of your teeth. Most dentists recommend scheduling two preventive appointments a year in order to keep yourself from becoming a statistic.
About Our Practice
At Anaheim Dental & Orthodontics, we know that there’s nothing worse than having to run all over town trying to get the dental care that you need. That’s part of why we are proud to be a multi-specialty practice, one that can handle pediatrics, orthodontics, and oral surgery under one roof. On top of that, we are located conveniently in the heart of Anaheim, which means that you won’t have to go out of your way to find exceptional dentistry.
If you have any questions regarding what you might now know about your teeth, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (714) 520-8888.
