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It seems like almost everyone spent a portion of their youth in braces. As a matter of fact, one-quarter of adults in the United States alone report problems with their oral hygiene. According to the Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC), cavities are less common than they used to be but certainly still prevalent among adults of all ages.
Journal Square Dental is here to help break down dentistry statistics from 2024, along with how we can help you with your dental health for years to come.
It’s standard to have two dental exams a year, both of which allow dentists to clean a person’s teeth and assess their gums for signs of decay. As of 2022, 64% of adults reported having at least one dental exam a year, barring any additional exams for surgeries or emergency care.
Regular dental exams can prevent people of all ages from developing cavities, as the use of fluoride and professional cleaning tools can remove plaque from hard-to-reach spaces. However, it’s rare for a dentist to complete all of the dental work a person needs in a single appointment, especially if a person hasn’t visited a dentist in a while.
50% of dental patients report that they are willing to spend more money on dental services if they have the chance to finish all of their essential dental work in a single trip. However, until dentists can provide these comprehensive services, they encourage patients to schedule at least two appointments per year.
It’s not easy to choose a dentist, especially not when you’re on the move. Recently, new patients have put a lot of weight on a dentist’s digital platform. 71% of new patients report researching a dentist online before scheduling their first appointment. Dentists who advertise their services on a well-made website tend to see more patients than those who don’t.
However, word of mouth is king. Patients are more likely to go to dentists that their friends and loved ones recommend than ones they search for independently.
Unfortunately, cavities are some of the most common problems that today’s dentists treat. However, there’s good news. Cavity treatments have advanced in leaps in bounds over the course of the past decade. Many dentists now prefer to work with dental sealants, which can preemptively prevent molar cavities in younger patients.
Dental sealants have a reported 80% success rate for two years after their initial installation. Unfortunately, sealants do lose efficacy over time, and they do not tend to work as well in adults as they do in children.
Oral health problems can increase the risk of certain diseases, like endocarditis, which is an infection of the inner lining of the heart’s chambers or valves. Research suggests that mouth bacteria can enter an individual’s bloodstream and infect other parts of the body, causing inflammation that may lead to heart disease and more.
Research also indicates that tooth loss, in particular, may be associated with a shorter lifespan. For example, one study in Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology found that individuals over the age of 70 who had at least 20 teeth lived longer than those with fewer than 20 teeth, suggesting that the number of remaining teeth a person had was significantly associated with their risk of mortality.
Tooth loss can also have a psychological impact, as one study found that tooth loss led to reduced self-confidence and increased emotional distress in individuals who had fewer than nine remaining teeth.
Journal Square Dental is an established dental agency that provides comprehensive services based on a foundation of mutual respect for its clients’ dignity. We know that each of our clients wants to enjoy a pleasant and rewarding visit to the dentist’s office without having to worry about exacerbated costs.
It’s with our clients’ wants in mind that we offer high-level dental medicine. Led by Dr. Rickerby, the team proudly offers New Jersey residents services celebrated by the National Dental Association, Commonwealth Dental Society, and New Jersey Dental Association – all organizations of which Dr. Rickerby is a member.
The services available to our clients include the following:
You can discuss which of these services might best suit your needs when you reach out to Journal Square Dental for the first time.
While there are some pitfalls still plaguing the field of dentistry, oral health and strategies for addressing concerns are constantly improving. The CDC recognizes oral health as essential to a person’s overall well-being, making development in the area of dental surgery and overarching care more essential than ever.
Do you have questions about your oral health? Get in touch with representatives from Journal Square Dental today. Dr. Rickerby and his staff have the answers you need. You can call (201) 431-0288 or use our contact form to book your appointment.
1 Journal Square Plaza
Jersey City, NJ 07306
