When it comes to your oral health, visiting your dental office regularly is of the utmost importance. In fact, the American Dental Association recommends you visit your dentist every six months! This is because regular dental exams are key to keeping your teeth and gums clean and healthy.
6 Reasons You Should Always Visit the Dental Office
Not sure you need to be visiting your dental office regularly? In this article, we’re outlining 6 major reasons to visit dentists and how you can benefit from regular visits to your dental office.
Not sure you need to be visiting your dental office regularly? Here are 6 reasons why you be seeing your dentist regularly.
1. They Can Help Correct Bad Oral Cleaning Habits
Many people don’t follow proper oral cleaning habits. In fact, 42% of adults use only a toothbrush and toothpaste for their oral care. And there are many people who try their best to clean properly but do the wrong thing due to a lack of information or understanding of what’s best.
From rushing to brushing too hard or forgetting the gum line, it’s easy to brush your teeth improperly. What’s great is that your dentist can walk you through proper tooth brushing technique to help you correct any bad form you may have developed.
He or she can also do things like make toothbrush recommendations and teach you proper flossing technique, so you can make sure you are taking proper care of your oral health outside of their office.
2. They Can Take Care of Plaque, Tartar & Cavities
Even if you’re an expert brusher and flosser, it’s likely you’re not thoroughly cleaning every part of your mouth. This makes it easy for plaque to build up and turn into tartar, which can really only be removed at a dental office with professional tools. Regular dental cleanings can help prevent this tartar from eroding your teeth and keep you from developing cavities.
It’s important to know that there are few early warning signs of cavities. So if you don’t regularly go to a dentist and develop a cavity, you probably won’t know it’s there until the damage has been done. Then you’ll have to go to the dentist and pay to have your cavity filled and fixed, which is much more expensive than a standard cleaning.
What’s better is that your dentist will do more than just clean your teeth, they’ll make them look better! Your dentist will buff out any imperfections, polish your teeth, and even whiten them if you ask for that service in advance.
By visiting your dental office regularly, your dentist can spot clean plaque build up, so you can avoid ever developing cavities. And you can leave feeling more confident about your smile.
3. They Minimize Your Risk of Gum Disease
Plaque and tartar buildup won’t only decay your teeth and cause cavities, but it will also erode your mouth’s gum tissues. This causes an infection in the area where your gum is connected to your tooth, and if left untreated, it can break down that gum tissue, which will result in gum disease.
At this point, you’ll begin to experience swelling, bleeding, and soreness in your mouth. Your teeth will loosen, and you may even start to lose them. Not only is this incredibly painful, but it destroys your smile and requires special surgery to fix. By seeing your dentist regularly, you can avoid ever getting to this horrible point.
4. They Can Detect Oral Cancer
Oral cancer is a very serious disease that is hard to notice during its early stages. If you don’t go to your dentist regularly, odds are you won’t know that you have it until its symptoms have progressed. This cancer can make it difficult to chew, swallow, or speak, create ear pain, and cause you to develop painful and persistent sores that bleed easily.
The good thing is that oral cancer can be easily treated in its early stages by a dental expert. And because oral cancer can be deadly, it’s best to go to the dentist regularly to make sure you never develop it.
5. They Have Technology to Find the Problems You Can’t
Trips to your dental office are about more than just cleanings. A major part of visiting your dentist is getting x-rays of your teeth and jaw bone, which is something you can’t do on your own. These x-rays can find and diagnose issues you’d never know about like impacted teeth, bone decay, cysts, and tumors.
Without x-rays and other technology, you wouldn’t know you had any of those issues. And it’s super important to address these issues as soon as they arise to properly treat them before they worsen. By going to the dentist regularly, you can get up-to-date x-rays and stay on top of your health.
6. They Check Your Head, Neck, and Lymph Nodes
On top of checking your mouth and gums for signs of damage or oral cancer, your dentist will also check your head, neck, jaw, and lymph nodes for any swelling or lumps. This is especially important because things like swelling or lumps could be a sign of a major health issue.
If a dentist finds anything like swollen lymph nodes, they can determine if you need to meet with an appropriate medical professional, or if you’re at risk for other kinds of cancer. If you don’t go to the dentist regularly, you won’t have your neck and thyroid glands checked as often, which makes it more likely that any possible cancers go undetected.
Something as simple as a trip to the dentist’s office could inform you of any concerning health issues and lower your risk of serious diseases.
Final Thoughts on Regular Dental Cleanings
You may not love going to the dentist, but it’s vital to keeping your gums and teeth happy and healthy. If you don’t go to your dental office regularly, you run the risk of developing oral cancer, gum disease, and a wide range of unpleasant issues. Poor oral health negatively impacts your social life, self-esteem, and work performance, so staying healthy is important to your overall happiness and success.
Are you worried about your oral health? Have any additional questions? Let us know in the comments!