Most people wait until they experience pain in their gums or teeth before they go for a dental checkup. Some people can stay for years without going for a checkup. Dentists observe that most people do not prioritize their oral health, mainly due to the assumption that a dental office is scary. Oral health affects your overall wellness; thus, overlooking your oral health can jeopardize your well-being. You should visit your dentist regularly, even if you are not experiencing any gum or tooth pain. The following are the reasons why you should visit your dentist regularly:
To Use Your Insurance Benefits
Most people pay thousands of dollars every year to insurance companies to cater to their medical expenses, including dental health. Unfortunately, millions of dollars of dental insurance go unused. Insurance covers are often used to reduce the burden of medical costs for patients. Most medical facilities work closely with medical insurance companies.
You can exercise your right to use your medical cover if you visit a dentist regularly. It is the only way of ensuring that your money does not go to waste. It is vital to use the benefits of your cover wisely and regularly, particularly in dental care treatments. You should not wait to experience pain or major defects to visit your dental expert. Prevention is often better than a cure.
Improves Your Smile
Your smile is important because it is probably the first thing people notice upon meeting you. A smile can express joy, happiness, and emotions, and is also an expression of love. Most people find pleasure in shining their smiles at those around them and take pride in how beautiful their smiles are. Unfortunately, certain conditions can ruin your smile. Some of the conditions include:
- Misalignment of the teeth
- Injured or damaged teeth
- Cracked teeth
- Missing teeth, and
- Irregular bites, among others
However, you should not allow the above conditions to take away your confidence and self-esteem. Your smile can be corrected or improved if you visit your dental expert regularly.
Help For Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a condition where you stop breathing repeatedly at small intervals at night. It can cause discomfort and drowsiness. This condition can increase the risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke. People with sleep apnea can benefit from a customized mouth guard, which can eliminate snoring by opening the airway. This can only be diagnosed and addressed if you visit your dentist regularly. Most dentists have tools and experience that can help you. Avoid self-diagnosis or overlooking the possibility of sleep apnea or other issues.
Set A Good Example For Your Kids
Oral health is important not only for adults but also for minors. Your children need to visit the dentist as early as possible in life. This will help to detect and prevent dental issues that can persist when they are adults if they are not treated early. It can be challenging for minors to understand the importance of regular dental checkups. Convincing them to take their dental health seriously can also be challenging. Setting a good example for them is the only way to get them involved. You can involve them in your dental health practices like flossing and brushing, as well as visiting a dental expert regularly with them. This will help them develop a habit of undergoing regular check-ups. It will also help them learn good practices from you and other close adults.
Detection And Treatment Of Periodontal Disease
Periodontal diseases often affect dental tissues. Gum disease is a result of contamination in the mouth due to plaque and tartar build-up. You can experience gum swelling, sensitivity, and pain if you have this disease. Usually, gum disease is painless and slow to progress. If you fail to visit your dentist regularly for a check-up, you might not realize you have advanced gum disease. You can suffer gum and bone structure deterioration and eventually tooth loss because of gum disease.
Plaque and tartar often damage gums. Accumulation of tartar can cause an infection at the tooth junction and gum. This makes the gums pull away from the teeth and leads to gingivitis. The attachment between the teeth and gums loosens over time. Regular dental check-ups can address these issues. Treatment for gum disease can include medications, deep cleaning, and surgery. However, the treatment depends on the seriousness of the gum disease. Regular dental cleanings are crucial to prevent these problems. They help the dentist to identify and treat gingivitis at an early stage.
Treat Bad Breath
Most people experience bad breath because of dental conditions or poor hygiene. You can experience cases of bad breath in the morning. Others suffer a condition known as halitosis. This condition is caused by poor dental hygiene for some time. It requires regular dental check-ups since dentists understand its treatment.
Bad breath can be embarrassing, and in some people, it could lead to anxiety. No wonder you will find many shelves overflowing with mouthwashes, mints, and gums to fight bad breath. However, most of these products only offer a temporary solution to bad breath. When you visit a dentist, the dentist addresses the root cause of bad breath to eliminate the problem.
Some of the leading causes of bad breath include the following:
- The breakdown of food particles in the mouth results in a bad odor
- Tonsil stones
- Sinusitis and postnasal drip
- Food and drink
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
- Dry mouth, and
- Nose obstruction
Helps You Learn About Dental Hygiene
Most people do not understand proper oral hygiene practices and the risks involved. Some brush their teeth once per day without flossing. This can lead to serious dental problems. Visiting your dental expert regularly can expose you to many proper dental health practices and the ways to maintain proper oral hygiene. Dentists are trained and possess knowledge of good oral hygiene and how to prevent oral conditions.
Regular Dental X-rays
An X-ray is the solution if you have impacted wisdom teeth or need a root canal. The dentist can also use the X-ray regularly to determine if your teeth have shifted because of an uneven bite or jaw issues. Not all oral issues involve a toothache. Some dental problems cannot be easily detected until the treatment becomes invasive and expensive. Dental x-rays help dentists spot undetected dental problems before they become serious.
There are advanced dental X-ray machines, which are faster, safer, and comfortable. X-ray imaging can spot swelling, tumors, bone decay, jawbone damage, and cysts that cannot be seen with the naked eye. Identifying these or other severe oral issues in their early stage is vital for effective treatment. Frequent updates of X-rays and scheduling bi-annual check-ups are important for monitoring your health, especially in the case of fast-progressing diseases.
Eliminates Dental Anxiety
Good communication and relations between a dentist and a patient are vital in establishing an effective treatment. Establishing a good rapport is important whether you have an appointment or have never visited the dentist before. Visiting the dentist regularly is the only way you can develop this rapport. This creates understanding, familiarity, and eases tension. You will also enjoy being attended to by a familiar dental expert who knows your history, your dental needs, and preferred treatment style.
Regular Dental Cleanings
The major cause of most dental defects is plaque. Plaque causes the development of cavities, which, if unchecked, can lead to tooth decay. It can also cause infections of the gums and bad breath. Plaque hardens and forms tartar, a pale yellow or dark brown coating that forms on the teeth. Tartar causes teeth discoloration and affects the beauty of your smile, which can affect your confidence and self-esteem.
Removal of tartar is important, and most dentists have the right knowledge and equipment to clean your teeth and clear tartar. Regular dental visits help prevent plaque and facilitate early detection and consequent removal of tartar. This saves your smile and teeth.
Keep Your Body Healthy
There is a close relationship between general body health and dental health. Poor oral health is also a sign of poor body health. Dental conditions result from poor dental hygiene, which can lead to other health conditions and diseases. Some of the diseases include endocarditis, diabetes, and heart disease. Dental defects can also cause serious health conditions like gum disease that can lead to low birth weight and premature births. Additionally, tooth canal infections can lead to an abscess on the teeth that can cause nerve damage and blood infections. Visiting your dental expert regularly puts you at an advantage since you will avoid dental and life-threatening conditions.
Spot Dental Defects Before They Become Serious
Regular dental visits will expose you to regular dental check-ups, whether for a general check on your oral health or diagnosis. People who fail to go for regular check-ups often end up suffering from serious tooth conditions. They experience more trouble that costs them on medication and puts them at higher risk. Your dentist can carry out evaluations if you make regular visits. He/she will also check on dental caries, cavities, and other dental conditions. Additionally, diagnosing dental issues early makes it easier to manage and treat.
Early Detection Of Oral Cancer
Oral cancer is a serious disease that can manifest in many ways. It is life-threatening because it often goes undiagnosed and progresses faster. However, a dental expert can treat early-stage oral cancer with ease. Going for a dental check-up every six months enables the dentist to spot these signs of oral cancer early. Early detection is vital for proper intervention. A dentist can easily identify a problem that you cannot.
Your dental expert can detect the disease early using the FDA-approved VELscope, a blue excitation lamp, which can identify early signs of oral cancer, like precancerous and cancerous cell changes. A VELscope cancer screening takes only two minutes and is a noninvasive procedure. This test detects hidden signs of damaged tissues from tumors by using a unique light to illuminate the inside of the mouth. It is painless, requires minimal time, and is able to save a life.
Monitoring And Managing Bad Behaviors
Certain behaviorthey are causing problems. Some of the harmful behaviors include:
- Drinking too much red wine or coffee
- Brushing teeth vigorously
- Smoking cigarettes
- Grinding teeth
- Consuming sticky or hard sweets
- Clenching your jaws
- Chewing ice
- Biting nails
Regular dental visits help your dental expert detect any dental injuries from habits that have been missed. You will change your lifestyle to avoid additional harm if you know about these harmful behaviors. Existing damage will also be repaired if you regularly visit the dentist, which will improve your overall oral health.
Cutting Costs In The Future
Regular preventative oral care is cost-effective in the long run because it helps prevent expensive major dental procedures. Missing just a single six-month visit can start a risky sequence of events, even if dental insurance covers cleanings and x-rays entirely.
Current oral issues can get worse without intervention, while new issues appear, leading to the need for expensive and complex dental treatments like dentures, crowns, root canals, and surgeries. These procedures can cost hundreds of dollars without insurance. Covering routine oral check-up costs yourself is affordable than suffering severe oral issues in the future.
Overlooking minor oral problems can lead to severe problems. Regular visits to the dentist helps him/her to address the problem in the early stages and save money over time. This approach saves the need for costly treatments in the future.
Promotes Confidence And Self-Esteem
Regular visits to the dentist are important for maintaining an attractive smile. They assist in resolving cosmetic issues and keep teeth and gums in top shape. When you have a beautiful smile, you will not shy away from social gatherings for fear that people will notice your flawed smile. This will enhance your self-esteem and elevate your confidence levels.
Find A Committed Dentist Near Me
Regular dental visits are crucial because they allow dentists to identify dental issues early and address them before they progress. Your oral health is connected to your full-body health; thus, neglecting your oral health can cause medical issues like heart disease. Ideally, you should visit a dentist every six months. During the routine dental checkups, the dentist evaluates your teeth and gums, identifying dental issues, both minor and serious.
If you need reliable dentists who can meet your family’s dental needs, contact The Hawthorne Dentist. Call us today at 310-775-2557 to speak to one of our dentists.
