Fewer Patients Missing Work Due to Oral Health Problems

dental experts in newberg

At your Newberg family dental practice, Dr. McLeod understands that taking time off of work or away from school to visit the dentist can be a big burden on our patient’s already busy schedules. That’s why we offer flexible scheduling to make it easier for our patients to find a time convenient for them to receive the outstanding dental care they need to enjoy a great looking and healthy smile for a lifetime.

Of course, one of the easiest and most effective ways of having to avoid an unexpected trip to the dentist is by regularly seeing Dr. McLeod. Regular preventative dental care helps to lower your risk of the dental decay and disease that causes cavities, toothaches, and other types of oral health problems that require immediate attention.

If you need proof that preventative dentistry offers the best path to fewer visits to our Newberg family dental practice, consider that fewer adults are having to skip work due to dental appointments, toothaches, and other oral health problems, according to a new Delta Dental survey of over 1,100 working Americans over the age of 18. In 2015, 28 percent of working adults had to miss work due to an oral health issue, a number that dripped to 21 percent in 2016.

“The vast majority of Americans aren’t taking time away from the office due to oral health issues, and this decline continues to be positive,” reports Delta Dental. “It indicates people in the workforce are having fewer oral health issues and taking better care of their teeth.”

Millennials, the demographic that usually reports the most amount of time missing work due to issues related to their oral health, have seen a decline from 40 percent reporting having missed time in 2015 to 33 percent in 2016. And while men still miss more work (25 percent) when compared to women (17 percent) due to oral health issues, both of those numbers were actually down when compared to 2015 when 29 percent men and 26 percent women missed work.

To keep these trend moving in the right direction, Delta Dental recommended the following tips for patients designed to keep their teeth and gums healthy:

  • Consider keeping a toothpaste, floss, and a toothbrush at your desk at work so you can maintain your oral hygiene after lunch.
  • Choose healthy snacks like carrot sticks or nuts as an afternoon snack rather than something from the vending machine like soda, candy bars, or chips.
  • Drink plenty of water throughout the afternoon to keep hydrated and to avoid consuming sugary beverages.
  • Excess stress can cause you to unconsciously grind your teeth, with work related stress being the most frequent cause of teeth grinding. If you start to feel stressed at work, take a minutes to clear your mind, take slow, relaxing breaths, and try to relax.

These simple steps – when combined with regular brushing, flossing, and scheduled appointments at our Newberg family dental practice – are all you need to keep your oral health strong enough that you can enjoy a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums.