Why Visit a Dentist Regularly?

Everybody knows you are meant to visit a dental office at regular intervals, but many people ignore this advice. Reasons for failing to visit a dentist regularly are often due to people imagining their teeth are just fine, and that a dental visit will be a waste of money, or thinking that they’d prefer to save the cost of a checkup and clean. These reasons might seem perfectly valid at the time, but they could prove costly in the longer term. 

Why Have Regular Checkups?

When you come to the dental office, a dentist checks the condition of all your teeth, gums, and oral tissues very carefully. Our dentist will examine every single tooth extremely closely, testing it for signs of lesions or cavities that could require treatment. A dentist also checks your gum health and will carry out regular oral cancer screenings. 

The Potential Risks of Failing to See a Dentist Regularly

Even though your teeth might seem fine, there could be small problems developing that aren’t yet causing you any unpleasant symptoms. Just because you don’t have any aches and pains, it doesn’t mean your teeth are necessarily healthy. 

By ignoring dental checkups, these problems will not clear up on their own, but instead are likely to become steadily worse. A problem that may initially have been easily treatable, could end up requiring a more complex procedure to correct, which will mean spending longer in the dental chair and is likely to be more expensive. At the very worst, you could lose teeth and may well end up requiring emergency dental care.

Gum Disease is the Most Common Reason for Tooth Loss

Gum disease is a real problem that can often lead to tooth loss, but it is known for being a ‘silent’ disease. If you have noticed your gums have begun to bleed slightly when you brush, then it is easy to put it down to brushing too hard and is one of those things many people will simply ignore, or they may stop brushing areas that bleed, thinking they will somehow recover on their own. 

Unfortunately, the opposite is true, and these early symptoms will gradually progress. What is worse, is that during the early stages, gum disease is called gingivitis and it is very easy to completely cure. During the later stages of this disease, by which time you will have unpleasant symptoms, gum disease is called periodontitis and it may require highly specialized dental care to try to control it. Even though you can get dental implants to restore missing teeth, periodontitis can only be controlled and cannot be totally cured. 

Gum Disease Can Affect Your General Health

Going to the dentist helps to protect your general health and here is why. Gum disease is a bacterial infection that gradually destroys your gums and the structures surrounding your teeth. This is the reason why gum disease can lead to tooth loss. As your gums are destroyed, they begin to bleed, at which point bacteria from your mouth can get into your bloodstream. 

It can be serious for anyone who already has health problems, or who is at risk of developing them, as the presence of bacteria increases inflammation in the body. People who are at increased risk include anyone with diabetes or heart disease, as well as people with rheumatoid arthritis. 

The inflammation caused by periodontal disease is increasingly being linked to systemic diseases and research is ongoing, but it seems very clear that there is a connection and it has never been more important to look after your dental health to protect your general health. If you are at increased risk of developing health problems, or if you already have health issues, you should make every effort to see your dentist regularly and you might even be advised to have more frequent checkups and hygiene appointments. 

Check for Signs of Oral Cancer

This is an important part of your regular checkup, as oral cancer is another disease that is frequently diagnosed when it is more advanced, at which stage it is often more difficult to successfully treat. By checking your oral tissues, a dentist can pick up any small changes usually before you have noticed something might be wrong. 

Signs that might require further investigation include any unusual lumps and bumps, any changes to the color or texture, and any sore spots that aren’t healing easily. It is unlikely a dentist will find anything wrong, but if they do then it is simple to take a quick sample of cells to send off for expert analysis. This is a test that could save your life and it is a great reason for coming to see your dentist regularly.