Oral health is an integral part of overall health. Thus, taking care of your teeth, gums, and bones can help you enjoy good health for a long time. Dentists recommend a long list of habits to keep your teeth healthy and strong. For example, they recommend brushing and flossing daily. This habit removes food particles that could combine with bacteria to cause gum disease and tooth decay. They also recommend regular dentist visits for a general examination, preventive measures, and treatment.
Sadly, many people wait until they experience severe symptoms like bleeding gums and toothaches to visit a dentist. You enjoy short and long-term benefits when you visit your dentist’s office as recommended. Here are examples of the lasting benefits you can enjoy:
It Prevents Dental Complications
Dentists offer preventive and curative dental services to keep your teeth and gums healthy and strong. Preventive dental services are as essential as curative services, as they protect you from possible dental or oral issues. Dentists thoroughly examine the teeth, gums, and jawbone during your regular visits. These exams help to determine whether you have any dental or oral problems that require treatment. They also recommend strategies and habits to keep your teeth and gums healthy and strong, such as daily brushing and flossing.
People experience dental and oral problems, including cavities, gingivitis, gum disease, chipped, broken or damaged teeth, discoloration, and bad breath (halitosis). These issues occur for various reasons, including failure to practice good oral habits. Most of these dental and oral issues start slowly and advance with time. Once they are fully advanced, they significantly affect your oral health and general well-being.
However, you do not have to wait to develop a dental or oral problem to visit a dentist. A visit to the dentist can help you prevent these and many other dental-related complications. For example, your dentist regularly reminds you to brush and floss to remove stuck food particles from your mouth. They will also remind you always to use a mouthguard if you are into sports. Your dentist will remind you of the dangers of habits like grinding your teeth, which could damage your teeth. These preventive measures will keep you enjoying good oral health for a long time.
Dentists Can Detect Oral Issues Early Enough
Regular visits to the dentist help with the early diagnosis of oral problems. Remember that all oral issues start small and escalate with time. For example, gum disease begins with minor gingivitis, which worsens and spreads gradually if left untreated. Cavities also start small and worsen over time. If a cavity is left untreated, it can cause an infection that spreads to the underlying structure of the affected tooth. The disease can also spread to adjacent teeth, resulting in a significant oral health problem that could be costly.
You can save yourself from experiencing severe symptoms like pain and sensitivity by allowing your dentist to examine your teeth and gums regularly. You can also save your teeth from damage and loss through regular visits. Your dentist will identify the cause of the problem, stop it, and treat the affected teeth to prevent the problem from worsening and spreading.
Thus, if you visit your dentists every six months as recommended, they can detect early signs of dental decay and gingivitis. They will examine your teeth and gums for buildup that could result in severe gum disease. Your dentist will also examine your teeth’ underlying structures and jawbone to determine their health and robustness.
Remember that an early diagnosis of oral problems will also save you money. Treating cavities in their early stages is less costly than replacing the entire tooth after cavity damage.
Regular Dental Exams Ensure Your Previous Dental Restorations Work Well
Dental restorations are crucial as they restore the functioning of your teeth. If you have lost one or more teeth or some are damaged, your dentist can recommend restorations to restore your teeth’s natural appearance, function, and confidence. There are a variety of dental restorations for various needs, including those that improve your chewing, enhance your smile, and improve your oral health. Examples include dental crowns, bridges, inlays, onlays, dental fillings, root canal therapy, and dental implants.
Sadly, dental restorations are usually not permanent. Some can serve you for years, but you must take good care of them to last that long. The truth is that dental restorations are at risk of damage. Some weaken over time due to chewing and biting. Once damaged, they will no longer serve their purpose, resulting in further complications that could worsen your oral health.
Dentists recommend regular visits after dental restorations to monitor your restorations’ functionality. During your thorough dental exam, your dentist can check whether your restoration still serves its purpose. If not, they will recommend a replacement or fix. For example, if your dental implants are damaged, your dentist can suggest a replacement for continued benefits. If a dental crown has shifted from the affected tooth, the dentist can fix it to ensure it remains functional.
Regular Visits Allow You Time to Examine Your Treatment Options
An early diagnosis of oral health issues is beneficial in more ways than one. For example, it enables the dentist to manage the problem once and for all. It is easier and possible to treat a problem in its onset stages than once it is full-blown. Early detection also saves you the agony of dealing with aggravating symptoms like endless toothaches, sensitivity, and fevers (in the case of an infection).
Another crucial benefit is that it allows you time to examine your treatment options for the best decision-making. Dentists have various treatment options for some of the most common oral issues. When the problem is at its onset stage, you can go through multiple treatment options and develop a workable treatment plan that accommodates your needs and financial ability.
You are prompted to rush through decision-making when faced with a severe oral problem. For example, if your teeth have started falling off due to advanced gum disease, you will not have enough time to weigh your options and choose the best treatment. But you can enjoy that luxury if the disease is in its onset stages and experiencing minimal or zero symptoms.
You Enjoy Professional Teeth Cleaning
A lot happens during your regular visit to your dentist. Your dentist examines your teeth and gums to ensure they are strong and healthy. They also examine other areas in your mouth for signs of an oral or dental problem that requires treatment. The dentist then examines underlying structures using diagnostic tools like CT scans and X-rays. Any additional exam or treatment you receive will depend on what the dentist notices during their examination.
Dentists also offer professional teeth cleaning during regular visits. You do not have to wait until your teeth become discolored or have buildup to have them professionally cleaned. Professional cleanings offer many benefits, including preventing oral problems and treating an early onset of issues like cavities and gum disease.
Teeth discoloration and staining are serious issues that many people experience. Your teeth do not retain the same color as you grow older. They also become stained from some of the foods and drinks you consume. For example, caffeine in coffee and tea can stain your teeth. People who smoke will also experience a similar issue. You cannot ignore discoloration and staining, as they affect your appearance and smile. It could also result in severe problems like gum disease and cavities.
Professional teeth cleaning removes all the stains and substances you cannot remove through regular brushing and flossing. It eliminates any substance that can cause a severe oral problem if combined with oral bacteria. For example, if stuck food particles combine with bacteria, they produce an acid that causes a buildup on your gums and teeth, which is a major cause of gingivitis and gum disease.
You can use professional teeth cleaning every time you visit your dentist for a routine examination. That will help prevent serious oral health issues from significantly affecting your esteem and general health.
You Can Benefit from Oral Health Education
In addition to examining your teeth and gums and diagnosing any oral issues they see, your dentist will educate you on oral health during your regular visits. Oral health education will help you take precautions when eating, biting, or using your mouth to avoid serious repercussions. This education entails a lot, including oral health habits that will keep your teeth and mouth clean and free of dangerous bacteria. It also includes lifestyle choices and foods to avoid to enjoy good oral and general health. If you are susceptible to a particular oral problem, your dentist will advise you on measures to minimize that risk.
Here are some of the crucial matters your dentist can educate you about during your regular visits:
- Adopting the best diet and nutrition for improved oral health and general well-being. For example, your dentist can advise you on the benefits of a balanced diet instead of consuming junk foods.
- If you habitually grind your teeth, your dentist will remind you of the associated complications, including weakened and damaged teeth that will eventually cost you a lot of money to replace.
- They can advise you against other bad habits that affect your oral health, including smoking and chewing ice.
- Your dentist will also sensitize you on some oral issues you are unaware of or have little information about, for example, oral cancer, its causes, and symptoms to be on the lookout for.
- Your dentist will constantly remind you of the importance of regular oral and general health visits.
However, you must keep reminding yourself and practicing the tips your dentist shares during these regular visits. That is the only way to benefit from excellent oral and general health.
Regular Visits Save You Money
A common reason why many people do not visit their dentists as regularly as they should is because they think it is expensive. The truth is that regular visits save you a lot more money than you can spend on regular exams and early diagnosis. What you pay every time you visit your dentist is incomparable to what you will pay if you receive a late diagnosis for a severe oral problem.
For example, suppose your dentist detects an early onset of gingivitis during your regular visits. In that case, they can recommend treatment and advise you on oral health habits that will prevent the problem from recurring. It will cost you a lot of money and possibly your teeth if you wait until you experience severe symptoms to seek treatment. Remember how damaging gum disease is, especially to your teeth and gums. You could end up in a theatre to fix the damaged gums and require dental restorations to replace lost teeth.
The same goes for dental cavities and other issues that worsen over time. Your dentist can fix a cavity at its onset during your regular visit. If you do not seek early treatment, the cavity can worsen and spread to the underlying structures and the adjacent teeth. Treating the affected teeth will take a long time and cost you more money.
Some problems you need dental restorations for can be treated effectively in their early stages. Dental restorations cost a lot of money. You will incur more charges since they are not permanent and will require fixing or replacement after some time. Regular visits will also help you avoid emergency dental visits, which are more costly.
Find a Competent General Dentist Near Me
Regular visits to the dentist are among the recommendations dentists make for improved oral health and general well-being. It entails visiting your dentists at least twice a year, not only when you experience a dental or oral problem. It comes with great benefits, including preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic benefits that will keep your teeth and gums healthy and strong for a long time.
However, you must carefully choose a general dentist to visit regularly for these and many other benefits. We offer quality, affordable, and timely dental care for the entire family at The Lakewood Dentist. Our general dentists have extensive skills and experience handling various oral problems. Call us at 562-423-1441 if you want to start your regular visits to the dentist in Lakewood, CA. We will happily discuss your needs and our services.