The Importance of Having Regular Dental Checkups
What’s better than a wide shiny smile? To have that, you have to keep your teeth and gums healthy and clean. Apart from that, it’s important to do regular dental visits that will help you maintain your teeth shiny and healthy. Dental visits and appointments shouldn’t be made only when a problem arises. The key to having healthy teeth is prevention. Prevention is always a better option than finding a cure when needed or, even worse, an oral operation. It’s recommendable to do a regular dental check-up at least every six months. True, not everyone’s a fan of going to the dentist, but visiting the dentist twice a year is one of the most important things you should do to maintain your health in good shape. Here are some of the reasons why Main Street Dental in Gresham thinks checkups are important.
Oral Diseases
The oral cavity consists of all sorts of bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Some of those belong there, and they create a normal mouth flora. In small quantities, they’re harmless for you and your health. Keep in mind that foods high in sugar create a perfect condition in which acid-producing bacteria can grow, which can cause dental problems such as cavities. There’s also a gum disease known as gingivitis. This infection occurs where the gum and the tooth are connected, and this infection makes the gum separates from the tooth. The more advanced and serious stage of gum disease is known as periodontitis. Depending on the seriousness and severity of gum disease problems, treatments may include medication, surgery, and extremely deep cleaning. To prevent this from happening, regular dental visits and cleaning are crucial in catching gingivitis before it’s too late.
Problems under the Surface
One of the things you might want to check with your dentist once in a while is your teeth and jaw bone with x-rays. Dental x-rays are images of your teeth which a dentist uses to examine your oral health and condition. Using x-rays, dental professionals can see what’s going on under the surface of your mouth. Later, this can help them diagnose the issue that wasn’t visible to the naked eye. After that and depending on the problem, a specific treatment can be done to help you and your teeth. Problems usually include impacted teeth, cavities, tooth decay, and, more often, wisdom teeth. Damage to the jawbone, swelling, tumors, and cysts can be all pinpointed with a little help of an x-ray.
Nowadays, various dental labs are equipped with the newest materials and technology. This helps experienced professionals to do an oral examination quickly and precisely so that they can provide you with the right treatment and procedure. It’s important to do regular dental checkups because various major oral issues show little to no symptoms but which can progress quickly.
Bad Habits
No matter how hard you try to live a healthy lifestyle, it’s almost certain that there will always be at least one bad habit that you can’t get rid of and which can harm your oral health. The reason for that is because you may not even be aware that some of these habits are causing issues. They may include brushing your teeth too hard or not in a proper direction, chewing gums or ice, grinding the teeth, drinking wine or coffee, biting your nails, and smoking.
If you can’t avoid all of these and other bad habits, it’s important to do your regular dental checkups. This way, your dentist can see if there’s any oral damage caused by some of these habits, which you haven’t necessarily noticed. Your dentist will not only treat issues caused by these habits, but he or she can also inform you about these destructive and bad habits. This will give you enough information to change your lifestyle choices and prevent further damage from happening. Dental visits allow you to fix the damage that’s already been made, to inform yourself and to fix your oral health.
Mouth Cancer Detection
Oral and mouth cancer is a serious health condition that manifests in lots of ways. Mouth cancer can affect the lips, cheeks, tongue, and throat. Sometimes, oral and mouth cancer can quickly progress because the early signs of it are not visible enough. When it’s not diagnosed and, therefore, treated, it can become life treating. The good news is that when this type of cancer is at its early staged and diagnosed on time, it’s easily treatable. Detecting mouth cancer in time while it’s at its early stages is the crucial thing in treating it successfully. You may not be able to detect the signs or oral abnormalities, but a dental professional will be able to do so. This is one of the most important things that your dentist should do at every checkup.
Dentists are highly trained and skilled in examining and recognize signs and symptoms of oral and mouth cancer. Most dentists do an examination of head and neck cancer while they’re checking the mouth sings of it. For this kind of an examination, they’ll probably check if there are any lumps on your neck or head; white or red patched in your mouth. In most scenarios, dentists at these checkups don’t find anything unusual, but it’s important to do this kind of examination since it can potentially save your life.
Pregnancy
You must take good care of your gums and teeth during your pregnancy. The reason for that is because pregnancy can cause hormonal changes that may increase the risk of developing gum disease that can, unfortunately, affect the health of your baby. That’s why it’s important to take care of your oral health before, during, and after your pregnancy.
Before – Try to visit your dentist and do a regular checkup before getting pregnant. This way, your gum tissues can be examined. Your teeth will be cleaned carefully. If there are any oral health issues, they can be treated before your pregnancy to avoid future problems that may affect your developing baby. When you find out that you’re pregnant, make sure you plan your first dental appointment.
During – It’s important you don’t skip or avoid dental checkups only because you’re expecting a baby. Now that you’re pregnant, it’s even more important to make your dental appointment. Because pregnancy causes hormonal changes that may increase the risk of developing periodontal disease or pregnancy gingivitis. You should pay attention to any changes that may occur during your pregnancy. Apart from that, keep on taking good oral care and oral hygiene practices to prevent any future health issues that may arise. And don’t forget to eat a healthy diet that contains essential minerals which are good for your baby’s gums, teeth, and bones.
After – After you give birth to your child, make an appointment for a regular dental checkup so that your dentist can examine your entire mouth, and evaluate your overall periodontal health.
Summary
Regular dental visits and checkups are important if you want to be healthy and have healthy teeth. It’s advisable to do your dental checkups at least twice a year or even more often, even though you may not have any visible or painful issues. Skipping dental checkups doesn’t seem like a big deal, especially if you think you don’t have any oral issues. However, these kinds of issues can develop progressively and quickly, and you may not even be able to notice that. To avoid any painful issues which can be prevented, it’s important to keep in mind your dental checkups. This way, you’re doing yourself and your health a big favor.
