When you decide to take better care of your overall health, don’t forget about your dental and oral health, too. Although this is only a minor part of your body, your oral health is just as important as any other facets of your overall health. Unfortunately, this is one of the most neglected by many individuals. They choose to go to their dentist only when they need to, such as when an emergency already exists.
The truth is that whether you’ve got an oral problem or not, you should still visit your dentist regularly. The least that they do is give your mouth and teeth a thorough cleaning that your floss and toothbrush can’t do. Additionally, being religious with your dental visits also bring in other advantages, like the following:
1. Keeps Your Teeth And Gums Healthy
What does a regular visit to your trusted Denver dentist mean? By regular, this is quantified by meaning visiting your dentist semi-annually, or at least once in six months. When you do so, you’re being responsible enough to give your oral health the best routine care possible. There are two parts to a check-up, the assessment, and the dirty job, which is the cleaning or oral prophylaxis. This type of cleaning is necessary to keep your teeth and gums healthy.
Here’s how your dentist achieves this for you:
- Removes the tartar that sticks on your teeth through the process known as scaling. Note that tartar can’t be removed with regular brushing and flossing. When it stays too long on your teeth, it can lead to oral diseases.
- To further clean your teeth, the next process is to polish your teeth. Then, the dentist also flosses your teeth.
2. Prevents Diseases
Did you know that insufficient oral health can also be the precursor of other health issues in your body? Many illnesses can arise simply because of poor gum and teeth health. Though technical, the basic explanation has to do with how germs and cavity can build up in your mouth. When this builds up, it can also spread through your throat, which leads to all other parts in your body.
Associated medical and dental issues due to weak gum and oral health include the following:
- Cancer
- Bone loss
- Stroke
- Cardiovascular disease
A regular visit to your dentist, like your Wheat Ridge Dentist, can help prevent the diseases enumerated above, and many more.
3. Can Help Determine Early Signs Of Tooth Decay
Prevention is better than cure and the same principle also holds with your teeth. Before severe tooth decay builds up, dentists are the best professionals that can help you determine the early signs of tooth decay. At the outset, decay is seen as soft spots in the actual structure of the tooth. Hence, seeing the patients twice a year is critical for the dentist to spot and observe any possible differences in the tooth.
Even more importantly, adequately addressing tooth decay early on can reduce the likelihood of any infections. It can also help prevent more costly (and daunting) dental procedures in the future, such as a root canal.
Early detection of tooth decay is particularly crucial for risk patients, like the following:
- Older adults with receding gums. These individuals also have more wear on their teeth.
- Individuals that don’t have enough saliva supply. This happens because of the intake of medicine and treatments such as cancer, and other diseases.
- Younger populations, such as babies and toddlers that are still drinking from the bottle.
- Individuals that don’t get enough fluoride.
4. Make Your Teeth Look Better
Everyone wants their smile to be picture perfect. Admittedly, when a person has physical issues or imperfections with their teeth, it can make them feel less confident. Some of these aesthetic dental concerns need more than just regular cleaning. Some need more comprehensive dental procedures such as realignment through braces and other tools.
However, many dental aesthetic procedures can be addressed through regular cleaning of the dentist. This can show up through stains that can make your teeth dull and also cause discoloration. When a dentist consistently cleans your teeth, you’ll have a whiter and brighter smile.
5. Prevents Gum Disease
Regular cleaning by the dentist can also help prevent gum disease, as they do more for you that regular brushing can’t address. The dentist can remove plaque and tartar that’s stuck in areas that are not visible to you, through normal brushing. This fact is precisely why deep cleaning is necessary. This is very important as gum disease can also be a precursor to tooth loss.
Conclusion
When you become negligent about coming in for regular dental visits, you’re putting your overall oral health at risk. This increases your chances of suffering from oral infections, cavities, and gum disease. Even if you’ve been good with flossing and brushing your teeth, note that these aren’t enough. Nothing beats going to the dentist for a professional cleaning and assessment. The benefits mentioned above should be more than enough to prove that point to you.