Why You Should Go to The Dentist Regularly
The first association that most people make with a dentist is excruciating pain. For this reason alone, a lot of adults avoid dental check ups. It does not help that dentist visits are often not covered by medical insurance. However, ignoring this aspect of your health can have seriously painful consequences. Weakening gums, severe tooth ache and other oral problems may eventually necessitate a visit to the dentist, followed by painful and expensive treatment. In short, you know what you need to do. Here are a few good reasons to help you make a positive decision.
Help Diagnose Systematic Diseases
This is something most people are not aware about. Systematic diseases (diseases that affect multiple organs) have oral manifestations. In other words, your dentist may be able to identify early symptoms and help in timely diagnosis of a major health complication.
Oral Health Key to Overall Health
Having digestive trouble? You may not have guessed that the cause may lie in your teeth. Digestion is a complex physical and chemical process, and it begins in your mouth. If you have an infection or harmful bacteria festering in your mouth, this could cause intestinal trouble, irregular bowel movements and other digestive disorders. Bacterial infection in your mouth can also cause heart disease and damage your heart tissue in certain cases. If you are a woman looking to start a family, your oral health is of vital importance. Research has shown there is a connection between gum disease, and pre-term, low weight babies.
Prevent Gum Disease and Oral Cancer
Simply visiting your dentist every six months can help prevent gum disease and premature tooth loss. Gingivitis, the most common gum disease in the US can be reversed and cured with timely diagnosis. Even problems such as broken fillings and cavities can be treated before they become serious dental emergencies. Furthermore, during your check-up, your dentist will screen for symptoms of oral cancer. This is a standard procedure since this deadly disease causes 20-25 deaths in the US every day, and it is curable if diagnosed on time.
Most importantly, following the check up, your dentist will advise you on how to keep your teeth and gums healthy on a regular basis. It may come as a surprise but a lot of adults don’t get the basics right when it comes to brushing and flossing.
So, What Goes On at a Dental Check-up?
The first thing is, well, the check-up. Your dentist will examine the health of your teeth carefully, specifically checking for signs of plaque or tartar. Tartar is a hardened layer of plaque that can’t be removed by brushing or flossing, and requires special dental tools. If allowed to build up unchecked, it may cause gum diseases. Your dentist will also check the health of your gums and even examine regions of your tongue, throat, neck and head. This is to make sure that there is no swelling or unnatural symptoms that may suggest a serious health problem.
The check-up is typically followed by cleaning. This may include scaling to remove tartar, flossing to clean the area between teeth, and if needed, polishing. Finally, your dentist will advise you on the condition of your teeth and what you need to do to stay healthy. Ultimately, the famous medical saying, ‘prevention is better than cure’, never made more sense!
