Fear, expense, and inconvenience can put you off your bi-annual dental exam. But skipping these exams can increase your risk of damage from tooth loss, tooth decay, and gum disease. Visiting the dentist can be scary, expensive, and inconvenient. But it’s as important as keeping your appointments with your physician.
Bi-annual exams and daily brushing and flossing can save you time, money, and pain. Visiting your dentist regularly will help your dentist identify issues before they become untreatable; your dentist will be able to identify problems before you need surgery or complicated procedures to restore your teeth. Regular visits to your dentist will also identify changes in your gums and teeth that can point to overall problems.
Why You Shouldn’t Skip Your Annual Dental Cleaning
Consulting with your dentist can help you make the most of your visit. Having your teeth cleaned regularly can:
- Preserve your smile: Regular visits to your dentist can keep your gums and teeth healthy. Your dentist will look for decay and disease if these conditions exist without symptoms in their early stages. Even when you brush and floss regularly, you can develop tooth decay and gum disease without knowing it. Gum disease can often present without any symptoms.
- Protect gum health: During your exam, your dentist assesses your gum health by checking for recession. They also check to see how firm your gums are and if they’re bleeding. Gingivitis can develop without symptoms.
- Oral cancer screening: Dental exams can provide defense against the effects and symptoms of oral cancer. The cancer cells can attack your lips, tongue, cheek, throat, palate, and floor of your mouth. The examination for oral cancer is painless, consisting of a visual examination.
- Cleaning off tartar and plaque: Having your teeth cleaned is a great preventative measure. Cleaning tartar and plaque can prevent stubborn buildup from hard-to-reach areas. Sometimes, your teeth might have to be scraped, but it’s a small price to pay to prevent gum disease.
- Finding potential health conditions: Regular dental exams protect your oral health. But it also can identify other health problems. Diabetes, thyroid disease, some cancers, and cardiovascular diseases can produce oral symptoms. If you have any of these conditions, alert your dentist to them immediately.
Your risk of overlooking chronic conditions is increased when you skip regular dental exams. Many of these conditions should be treated early, so you’ll need to follow up with your physician after your dental exam.
Dentists use mildly abrasive toothpaste and high-powered toothbrushes during cleanings. The combination of these things makes the cleaning deeper and more thorough than what you can achieve at home. After cleaning, your dentist will floss your teeth, ensuring that your whole mouth is clean. Many dentists will also demonstrate the correct flossing and brushing techniques if you’re not doing them correctly.
Keeping a Schedule for Dental Exams
Keeping a regular dental exam schedule will protect your oral health and overall health. Schedule an appointment with Dickey Dental by calling or visiting online as soon as possible.
