Brush up on Dental Health

Brush Up on Dental Health

1. What percentage of adults have 6. Drinking alcohol increases your risk fillings? of oral cancer. a. 50% True or false? b. 63% c. 78% 7. When is the most important time to brush? d. 92% a. morning 2. If you can’t brush after a meal, b. mid-day chewing gum can help. c. evening True or false? d. after every meal

3. How much time each day should you 8. Which activity can harm your teeth? spend brushing your teeth? a. smoking a. 30 seconds b. drinking sugary sodas b. 1 minute c. playing contact sports without c. 4 minutes a mouthguard d. 20 minutes d. using your teeth as a tool (to open hairpins, to cut thread) 4. Baking soda makes a good e. all of the above toothpaste substitute. True or false? 9. Although vitamin C is important, the tablets can pose some risks to your 5. How often should you replace your teeth. toothbrush? True or false? a. every 3 weeks b. every 3 months Check your answers on the back c. once a year d. every 2 years

We keep you smiling® deltadentalinscom/enrollees Answers 1. d. 6. True. Even though most adults suffer Risk factors for oral cancer include from cavities, tooth decay is easy to alcohol, tobacco and the human prevent: with a proper oral hygiene papillomavirus. regimen, regular visits to the dentist and use of fluoride. 7. d. Ideally, you should brush your 2. True. teeth after every meal. If that’s not Even though there’s no substitute for possible, make sure to brush twice a brushing and flossing, chewing gum day, especially before going to bed, can help stimulate saliva to wash to limit the growth of bacteria in your away bacteria. mouth as you sleep.

3. c. 8. e. The Academy of General Dentistry All of these behaviors can contribute recommends brushing twice a day for to tooth decay, gum disease, tooth two minutes at a time. That adds up fractures and tooth loss. to four minutes a day! Do you really brush that long? Many people think 9. True, they brush for two minutes but stop after 30 seconds. Try using a timer or if you choose chewable tablets. Even stopwatch to see if you’re brushing though vitamin C is important for enough. gum health, the acid in the chewable tablets can wear down your enamel. To protect your teeth, make sure 4. False. to swallow your tablets instead of Baking soda is effective at removing chewing them. plaque from your teeth, but it doesn’t provide the toothstrengthening fluoride found in most toothpastes.

5. b. As the bristles of your toothbrush wear down, they become less effective at reaching crevices between your teeth. Replacing your toothbrush every three months helps ensure that your fight against plaque is successful.

Our Delta Dental enterprise includes these companies in these states: Delta Dental of California — CA, Delta Dental of the District of Columbia — DC, Delta Dental of Pennsylvania — PA & MD, Delta Dental of West Virginia, Inc. — WV, Delta Dental of Delaware, Inc. — DE, Delta Dental of New York, Inc. — NY, Delta Dental Insurance Company — AL, DC, FL, GA, LA, MS, MT, NV, TX and UT.