In our daily lives and busy schedules, it’s expected that we miss out on taking proper care of our health, including our oral health. However, regular dental check-ups are crucial for our oral health. We often mislead ourselves that normal oral health is simply brushing and flossing at home. We need to understand that it is far more than that. This is why regular dental check-ups are precautions that must be taken before facing severe oral problems. It’s essential to prioritize oral hygiene habits and be aware of the necessity of emergency dental care.
In this blog, we will explore what preventive dentistry is, why regular dental check-ups are crucial, how often you should visit your dentists, when to visit them, and many other factors related to our oral health. So, let’s begin.
What does Preventive Dentistry mean?
Taking care of your teeth to keep them healthy is called preventive dentistry. This prevents teeth from getting cavities, gum disease, enamel wear, and other problems.
Preventive dentistry comes in many forms, such as brushing your teeth daily and regularly cleaning your teeth. The American Dental Association (ADA) says that people should see their dentist regularly, as decided by their dentist, to keep their mouth health in good shape. Doing these things lets you keep your teeth clean, firm, and white. Parents should teach their kids how to care for their teeth early on.
How often should you go to the dentist?
Everyone, including kids and adults, should visit the oral dentist as often as they recommend. If you have specific health problems, your dentist may want to see you more often.
Also, keep in mind that some medications can affect our oral health. For example, people who take medications that cause “dry mouth” may be more likely to get cavities and need to see their dentist more often.
When you should go to the dentist between cleanings and checkups
You might not pay attention to a bit of tooth pain or sensitivity and hope it will go away on its own. So, just like going to the dentist regularly, it’s also important to get problems with your teeth checked out as soon as possible. Feeling pain or bleeding in your gums or teeth when you eat, drink, brush, or floss? It’s time to see a dentist. Here are some factors to keep in mind before visiting:
- Gums that are swollen or change color
- Something that feels lumpy, swollen, or numb in your jaw, face, lips, tongue, or other parts of your mouth
- Loose teeth
- Bad breath or a bad taste in your mouth that won’t go away
- Sometimes, you wake up with a headache that hurts even more
Why are regular dental check-ups crucial for your Oral Health?
Here are some reasons why it’s essential to go to the dentist regularly:
1. Regular dental checkups keep plaque, tartar, cavities, and tooth decay at bay
Even being so careful, even some people can forget to clean the hard-to-reach parts of their mouths. These teeth are known as back molars. That’s why everyone should go to the doctor every six months.
There may be early signs of tooth loss in the patient’s teeth, which the dentist will take proper care of. If the dentist finds small cavities or white spots on the teeth, they will start the person on fluoride treatment to stop the damage. Fillings are used to treat larger holes.
The dentist then cleans your teeth professionally to remove plaque or tartar that has built up on your teeth and gums. These steps will keep the teeth and gums safe from harmful germs.
2. Regularly Dental Check-ups keep gum disease away
Most of the time, no signs of gum disease are in its early stages. It’s hard to tell if someone has gum disease because of this. The best part is that your dentists know how to find gum disease even when it tries to hide.
Once a year, the dentist will check to see if the gums are firm. They’ll look for gum gaps, swelling, and lips pulling away from the teeth. If the dentist sees any troubling signs, they will treat the cause.
People with early gum disease can get rid of it if they care better for their teeth and gums. A dentist is always helpful in showing a patient how to do this.
3. Regular checkups with the dentist can find oral cancer
A dentist will look for signs of oral cancer in their patients’ mouths, teeth, and gums. This is great because mouth cancer can become a life-threatening sickness if it is not found early.
The dentist uses a special light to look for dead tissue that tumors have caused. One name for the test is a VELscope cancer check. It doesn’t hurt and only takes a minute or two.
Because of these check-ups, people who go to the dentist every six months have a low risk of getting mouth cancer.
4. Regular checkups can find health problems that affect the whole body
The head and neck check-up is another part to go for dentist appointments. The dentist will look for any lumps, swollen lymph nodes, or other signs of sickness in the neck, cheeks, or lymph nodes. If there is a problem, the dentist can send the patient to the right medical professional.
Take Care Of Your Oral Health
Regular dental check-ups are crucial to maintaining not only good oral health but also overall health. Smiles are precious to us all, and regular dental check-ups can help to preserve them for a lifetime. We understand that visiting a dentist might sound scary sometimes. However, precautions are always better than cure. So visit Cass Dental Care in Darien for your next appointment.