6 reasons for dental care checkups in 2021
Growing up, we always sang the “you should visit a dentist regularly” song so well. However, how many of us actually did that? Well, I didn’t either. Of all sides and aspects of health, dental care is considered less priority. The truth is, dental health checkup is equally as important as your visits to the gynaecologist, or your yearly cancer check-ups.
Dental appointments shouldn’t just be made when you have a problem that needs to be addressed. Prevention is always better than needing a cure.
Are Dental checkups important?
Just like any other part of your body, your dental health should also be in mint condition. There are plenty more reasons why it’s important to maintain regular dental care visits to your local dental practice:
- Early detection of oral cancer
Did you know oral cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide? Just like any other cancer, survival depends on the stage the cancer is at. The dentist checks for any lumps on your head or neck.
They will also check for any red or white patches in the mouth. Usually, these checks will find nothing unusual, but they could potentially save your life. This therefore means, it is very important to schedule regular checkups. - To have a dental cleaning
This is done by Dental hygienists and therapists. This set of specialists are mostly concerned with ‘preventive’ dental health and treating gum disease showing you correct home care and helping you to keep your teeth and gums healthy.
This includes professionally cleaning your teeth (usually called a ‘scale and polish’) by removing plaque and tartar, both of which encourage tooth decay and gum disease.
Regardless of how long you spend brushing your teeth or even the number of times you brush them, you can never be clean 100%. There are always places you do not get to clean.
When this dirt piles up, professionally known as plaques, it then solidifies and becomes tartar which gets more difficult to remove. When this happens, you need the help of a professional.
- Consultations about tooth whitening
Although there have been plenty of myths out there surrounding the safety and legality of teeth whitening, this procedure has really grown in popularity over the years. Regular checkups can easily place your dentist at a better place to advise on whether you need it or not, and how to go about it.
Read more about teeth whitening (teeth whitening) - Discover gum diseases
Just by looking at the mirror, you can easily think that your teeth are in the best condition. However, dental health goes beyond face value. Through checkups, the specialist is able to determine any underlying issues and infections on the gums.
Untreated gum disease can even attack the bones that keep teeth in place, compromising the entire oral health. - Check for lymph nodes swelling
Check-ups are necessary to discover swelling or other forms of problems that could indicate a major health issue. If your lymph nodes are swollen, your dentist might refer you to the appropriate medical professional for additional tests. - To get your teeth and jaw borne X-rayed
X-ray images allow dental professionals to see what is happening beneath the surfaces of your mouth and can find and diagnose issues that may be invisible to the naked eye.
Problems like this can include impacted teeth, which are growing teeth that are blocked from pushing through the gum line, as often seen in wisdom teeth.
A crucial part of visiting your dentist every six months is getting your teeth and jaw bone x-rayed.
Get checked for any dental issues. Do not lose that beautiful smile. Go on, schedule those appointments.