Dental Health

Dental Health

Dental health is critical to overall health. There are simple habits and practices to greatly improve dental health and lower the risk of chronic disease.

Quality of Life

The health of your teeth and the rest of your mouth can profoundly affect your general heath. Maintaining dental health will enhance your quality of life.

• Oral problems — such as cavities, gum abscesses, gum disease, and bad breath — can affect your overall well-being.

Preventive Dental Care

Preventive dental care can prevent the onset of serious oral diseases.

• Untreated cavities can cause pain and infections that may lead to problems with eating and speaking. For children, they may also lead to problems playing and learning.
• Mild gum disease can be controlled and treated with good oral hygiene and regular professional cleaning.
• Dental care isn’t just about kids — adults should get a dental cleaning every year to keep their mouth in good health.
• Brushing twice a day, flossing daily, and regular dental checkups are all critical to sustain dental health.

Dental Health and Tobacco

According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and other forms of tobacco cause oral cancer, gum disease, and other oral health problems.

• Use of smokeless tobacco is associated with increased risks of oral cancer and can cause white or gray patches inside the mouth.
• Untreated tooth decay is higher in people who smoke cigarettes.

Impact on Readiness

Your dental health is critical to your readiness. Regular dental care is needed to maintain readiness and deployability.

• Help stay mission ready by taking care of your teeth.
• Make sure to schedule required dental check-ups well before you deploy.
• Neglecting your dental health impacts your readiness and ability to deploy.

Additional Resources for Dental Health

• TRICARE Active Duty Dental Program page
• TRICARE Dental Program page
• TRICARE Find a Dentist page
• Health.mil Dental Care page
• Total Force Fitness Medical and Dental Preventative Care page
• CDC Oral Health page