When was the last time you went to a dentist? If the answer to this question is along the lines of “more than a year,” you need to make an appointment at your earliest.
It may seem like you don’t need a proper dental check-up. After all, you don’t have a toothache. You brush and floss regularly. Your gums seem healthy enough. You don’t have any cavities and have no problems with sensitivity. Everything seems fine, right? Although it may seem fine on the surface, there may be underlying dental issues you don’t know about. If left unchecked, such issues can progress to serious oral diseases that can cause further discomfort and inconvenience.
Neglecting regular dental check-ups is a bad idea. Let’s have a look at a few reasons why.
Hidden Cavities
Dentists recommend brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing daily, but is it enough to avoid cavities?
According to the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), 1 in 4 people in the US has untreated cavities. This leads to gum diseases, tooth decay, and tooth loss. Even with regular brushing and flossing, you miss a few crooks and corners in your mouth. That is where cavities start to form.
A regular soft-bristled toothbrush is not equipped to clean small crevices and corners of your teeth. That is done by professional dentist equipment. If neglected, plaques start to form, which can lead to cavities and end in tooth decay.
Cavities in wisdom teeth are usually treated by extraction. If you have a cavity in your wisdom tooth, you can find a suitable clinic by searching ‘wisdom teeth removal near me’ and getting started on the procedure. The procedure is recommended because wisdom teeth are more likely to cause pain and get infected.
Gum Diseases
If you are an adult over 30, you have a 40% chance of suffering from gum disease. This is not because you are careless about your oral hygiene. You can be as hygienic as you can get and still get gum disease because you neglect regular dental check-ups.
Gingivitis is the early stage of gum disease, characterized by red or swollen gums. If left unchecked, this can lead to serious issues regarding oral health. Such issues start as simple as bad breath and can lead to conditions as serious as jawbone loss and tooth loss.
Your dentist can diagnose gum disease at an early stage and start medication immediately. This can give you a head-start to begin treatment immediately and avoid serious complications in the future.
Plaques and Tartars
Oral secretions create a favorable environment for various species of bacteria to grow in our mouths. These bacteria secrete vitamins that help boost our immune system against foreign, harmful substances. They also help keep away pathogenic bacteria. But is this all they do?
While we need the normal flora to keep us healthy, bacterial secretions actually harm our teeth. Neglecting our oral health invites plaque build-up. If not removed, plaque becomes tartar, which becomes difficult to remove without professional tools. It starts to build near the gums, forming an abscess that allows the bacteria to grow. Such growth damages the underlying tissues and nerves, causing serious oral diseases.
Regular visits to the dentist can help you avoid plaque build-up. They have modern tools equipped to find plaques in hidden surfaces and crevices. This keeps the bacterial growth in check while they do their job.
Expensive Dental Treatments
Dental appointments take up a considerable amount of your time and money. Studies show that more than one-third of uninsured Americans pass up on dental appointments because they cannot afford the treatment. While regular dental appointments cost a lot, advanced dental treatments cost even more. Going to the dentist once every six months might be a financial burden you don’t want to bear. This becomes especially relatable when you don’t have an obvious oral disease to get checked.
However, regular visits to the dentist might save you from more expensive dental treatments in the future. For example, if you are willing to pay for a teeth alignment procedure now, you may be saved from tooth extraction or root canal treatments in the future. If you spend on scaling every six months, you can avoid getting treatments for fillings or swollen gums in the future. Regular visits to the dentist save you a considerable amount of time and money that you may have to spend in the future.
Oral Hygiene Suffers Without Professional Dental Care
Bad oral hygiene includes bad breath and stained teeth. While you may think this is avoidable by regular brushing and flossing, it is not a permanent solution. No matter how thoroughly you brush your teeth, you always tend to miss a spot or two. That is where the stain or the plaque starts to build up, which, among other conditions, contributes to bad breath and stained teeth.
The solution to this issue is as simple as a scaling and cleaning appointment. A thorough teeth cleaning appointment can go a long way to avoid the issue.
Oral diseases lead to various chronic diseases
Just like other parts, your mouth is a part of your body. Anything that affects your oral health has a negative impact on your overall health.
Poor oral health encourages bacterial growth, which grows to other body parts if left unchecked. It contributes to various health conditions, including but not limited to infections, heart diseases, and lung diseases. Gut health is also directly related to your oral health.
- Heart Diseases: Endocarditis is one of the most common heart conditions caused by poor oral health. In this condition, bacteria travel from your oral cavity to your heart and attach to the wall of cardiac Chambers and valves.
- Lung Diseases: Bacterial pneumonia can be caused by bacteria traveling from the oral cavity to your lungs. The severity of this disease depends on various conditions, including age, immunity, etc.
To Conclude
Neglecting regular dental check-ups is a bad idea. Keeping on top of your oral health is imperative to avoid any serious health conditions in the future. For this purpose, regular dental check-ups are a must. You cannot avoid dentists forever, so it is better to keep up with regular appointments than wait for something drastic to happen. Keep in touch with your dentist for a healthy lifestyle and a brighter smile.