Knowing how often you should see your dentist is a crucial issue that can have long-term health effects. Even though skipping routine checkups and cleanings can cause poor breath, oral infections, gum disease, tooth decay, and even oral cancer, many people do so.
As such, the team at Village Green Dental Care would like you to know how often you should see your dentist.
Why Should You Go to the Dentist Regularly?
There are various significant reasons for routine dental visits, including:
Preventing Dental Issues
By regularly monitoring your oral health, your dentist can identify any problems before they worsen. For instance, your dentist can fill a minor cavity before it gets worse and necessitates a more invasive operation like a root canal or crown. Also, if you have gum disease, your dentist can suggest a course of action to stop it from worsening and harming your teeth and gums.
Maintaining Good Oral Health
Regular dental cleanings assist in maintaining the condition of your teeth and gums in addition to preventing complications. It can be challenging to completely remove all of the plaque and tartar buildup on your teeth, even with good dental hygiene habits at home. Professional cleanings can assist in removing this accumulation and preventing gum disease and tooth decay from being brought on by it.
Identifying Oral Cancer
The early stages of oral cancer can be challenging to diagnose, making it a dangerous and potentially fatal condition. Your dentist can look for oral cancer symptoms during a routine dental examination, such as red or white patches in your mouth or strange lumps or bumps. Regular dental appointments can assist ensure that any possible abnormalities are discovered and dealt with right away because early detection is essential to a successful course of treatment.
Saving Money
Early intervention for dental issues can frequently save you from later, more expensive and intrusive procedures. For instance, filling a minor cavity is significantly less expensive than waiting until it grows and necessitates a root canal or crown.
Improving Overall Health
Regular dental checkups can support the promotion of overall well-being because good oral health is related to general health. For instance, gum disease is associated with a higher risk of heart disease, stroke, and other illnesses. You can lessen your risk of developing these and other health conditions by taking care of dental health issues.
What Can Happen If You Avoid Seeing Your Dentist?
Long-term avoidance of professional dental care can have several detrimental effects on your oral health. The following are some potential issues that might occur:
Tooth Decay
Plaque and tartar can accumulate on your teeth if you don’t go to the dentist for routine examinations and cleanings. If plaque, a sticky film of bacteria that accumulates on teeth, is not eliminated by brushing, flossing, and routine dental cleanings, it can cause tooth decay. Plaque can eventually harden into tartar, which a dental expert can only remove. Cavities brought on by untreated tooth decay might result in tooth loss if they are not addressed.
Gum Disease
Allowing plaque and tartar to accumulate on teeth and along the gum line can result in gum disease, an infection and inflammation of the gums. Gum disease’s early stages might manifest as redness, swelling, and bleeding of the gums. If gum disease is not addressed, it can worsen and result in more serious symptoms like receding gums, bone loss, and even tooth loss.
Oral Infections
Long-term neglect of gum disease or tooth decay can result in an infection of the gums or teeth. A tooth infection can result in discomfort, edema, and even a pus-filled abscess. Furthermore, uncomfortable, gum infections can result in swelling and discomfort in the affected area. It may be necessary to treat these infections with antibiotics or even with dental surgery.
Bad Breath
Bad breath can be brought on by the accumulation of plaque and tartar on teeth. This may make you feel self-conscious and lower your confidence.
Oral Cancer
Without routine examinations, mouth cancer might not be discovered until it has progressed to a more serious stage. If oral cancer is not found and treated promptly, it can be dangerous and even fatal. For the detection of any potential problems and early detection of oral cancer, routine dental appointments are crucial.
Expansive and Invasive Treatments
When dental issues go untreated for an extended period, they may worsen and necessitate more costly and invasive procedures like root canals, extractions, and dental implants. To avoid these more serious treatments, it’s critical to identify and address dental issues as soon as possible. These procedures can be uncomfortable, time-consuming, and expensive.
How Often Should You See Your Dentist?
For routine check-ups and cleanings, it is typically advised to visit your dentist at least twice a year, or every six months. The number of dental appointments, however, may vary based on personal needs and risk factors for dental issues.
If you’ve had gum disease in the past, you might need to visit the dentist more frequently to stop it from getting worse. Similarly, your dentist could advise more frequent checkups and cleanings if you have a higher risk of tooth decay because of things like a dry mouth or a diet heavy in sweets.
An extensive inspection of your teeth, gums, and mouth will often be performed by the dentist or dental hygienist during a routine dental visit to look for decay, gum disease, or other problems.
To look for hidden issues like cavities or bone loss, they could also take x-rays. Your dentist will discuss treatment choices with you and create a strategy to address any issues they find.
Your dental hygienist will also do a professional cleaning, which entails removing plaque and tartar from your teeth and gums, in addition to the examination. This keeps your breath fresh, enhances the look of your smile, and helps to avoid gum disease and tooth decay.
Village Green Dental Care – Patient-Centered Kanata Dental Clinic
How often you should visit your dentist always comes down to how well you want to care for your teeth. By going to the dentist every six months you can spot possible problems before they grow worse and necessitate more expensive and invasive treatments. Neglecting dental cleanings and checkups can result in poor breath, oral infections, gum disease, tooth decay, and even oral cancer. You can maintain a healthy, radiant smile for years to come by prioritizing regular dentist checkups and practising basic oral hygiene at home.
Please contact us if you need expert and compassionate dental care. Let Village Green Dental Care help you take the first step toward a healthier, more joyful smile. Our skilled and amiable staff is committed to giving you the best care and assisting you in achieving excellent oral health. Schedule your appointment right away to enjoy a lifetime of healthy, attractive teeth and gums.
