Better dental health is something we all try in our communities. But because of various hurdles and the lack of information, such a goal is hard to achieve. Thankfully, there are some blueprints we can follow from different communities in the world.
Here’s a staggering fact: about 30% of the population can’t afford decent dental insurance. Because of this, an increasing number of Americans and their communities are vulnerable to many dental diseases such as gum disease (periodontitis) and tooth decay. Many experts believe that better dental health isn’t an individual effort but a community-based one.
It’s time for you to get involved in your community’s overall dental health. Here are some ways you can make it better for you and your people.
Knowledge is Power
First of all, it’s essential to let your community know all about dental health. Why is it important? How can you maintain and improve it?
You’d be surprised to know that so many Americans don’t know much about dental health. We wouldn’t be suffering so much tooth decay if that was the case. So the first thing you have to prioritize is to get people to know more about it. This means seminars and talks.
Knowledge of dental health makes a huge difference for your community, especially for the children. When children know different ways to handle themselves, they are more likely to practice it until they are older. Parents should also be more informed on how to take care of their children’s teeth. This knowledge will create a positive feedback loop where people continue to teach one another about dental health.
Get Professionals Involved
Professionals in the dentistry field can make a difference in improving a community’s dental health. For example, a reputable dentist who goes into seminars and talks can make a difference in letting people know how to achieve better dental health. Furthermore, orthodontists can teach people the significance of dentures and protect the teeth from extreme elements.
There’s no one else who’s more certified in starting talks and seminars than dental professionals. Although there are quite a few of them out there when compared to the general population, they are dispersed wide enough that you should have at least one or two professionals in your neighborhood. Therefore, it is in your best interest to contact these professionals and let them be the leaders of your program.
Focus On Preventive Care
The main reason why Denmark is the population with the healthiest teeth is that their entire country is concentrated on preventive care. On the other hand, the US is more interested in fixing broken teeth and treating tooth decay. This is why you should focus on preventative care more than ever.
Preventive care includes teaching others how to brush correctly, teeth cleaning drive, and more. You can reduce overall plaque in your community through these prevention programs while increasing everyone’s dental health.
Moreover, preventive care doesn’t stop there. It’s all about enriching people’s gained knowledge from the seminars we’ve talked about earlier to new heights. This means putting more people in dental care programs, not just in your community but in other communities as well.
Follow the Action for Dental Health (ADA) Program
If you want a simpler program to follow, then the ADA program is meant for you. It has a three-pronged plan that covers all the essentials of dental care. It’s an excellent program to follow if you’re new to all of these things.
The ADA program is all about giving care to those who need it now, connecting different communities, and preventing dental diseases. Each plan has its own sets of programs that can help you gain your community’s intended goal. Combined with the suggestions we’ve given you earlier and you have a robust plan to help people in your community improve their general dental health.
More than Your Community
Once you’ve established these things in your community, it’s time to influence other communities as well. If we want the US to improve its dental standards, we need to reach every community in every state. It’s how we can improve dental health awareness and reach out to people who need it. Once we’ve done these things, we can become a country like Denmark with little to no plaque on its people’s teeth.
Improving the overall dental health of every American should be one of our main goals as a country. We can start in ourselves, then move into our community. It’s time for us to get involved for a better and brighter future in dental health.
