What role does a dentist play in maintaining oral hygiene?
Many people are under the mistaken belief that the full extent of their oral health obligations consist of brushing and flossing their teeth every day. Maintaining dental health encompasses so much more, like eating a healthy diet, drinking the recommended amount of water and visiting the dentist in Dorking for regular routine dental examinations.
At Bespoke Dental Lounge, we often find that patients leave the priority of getting regular dental examinations until it is too late, when they are experiencing a dental emergency and cannot cope with the pain any longer. What we would like you to know is that scheduling dental check-ups with our is one of the best ways to avoid dental emergencies and other dreaded dental diseases.
There is so much more to regular visits to our dentist in Dorking than you might think, which is why we dedicate today’s post to the many reasons why visits to the dentist every six months are so highly recommended.
Why regular dental visits are highly recommended
The first duty of the dentist during a dental appointment is to examine the health of teeth and gums and to establish the state of oral hygiene. The role of the dentist has moved on from just treating dental problems when they occur to embracing the benefits of preventive dentistry, which work to avoid dental problems before they appear.
Poor oral health issues manifest themselves first as concerning symptoms which need to be treated. If left ignored and untreated, these problems only become more complex in nature as time goes on. Seemingly inconsequential symptoms like inflamed gums or tooth sensitivity may not seem serious enough to deem a visit to the dentist, and over time, these symptoms advance to become expensive-to-treat dental diseases.
Regular dental examinations help to keep dental care costs low in the long run and save the patient from having to endure long drawn-out treatment plans.
When examining the mouth for worrying red flags, our dentist is also given the opportunity to look for symptoms of mouth cancers. Oral cancers are lesser-known dental diseases that can have life-threatening consequences if not treated in time. This is another reason dental examinations are so important – to pick up on signs of poor oral health issues that have a better treatment success rate when diagnosed early.
The mouth/body connection is a well-established one. What happens in the mouth affects the body and medical conditions that affect the body can also impact dental health.
One reason why dentists stress the importance of brushing and flossing at home and regular dental check-ups is to keep a lid on bad bacteria spiralling out of control. It is these bad oral bacteria that are the cause of unwanted dental problems like gum disease and tooth loss. The danger though can go further than affecting the mouth, the impact of bad bacteria can go as far as affecting the health of the heart and lungs.
Heart attacks, strokes and other inflammatory conditions are more likely if you have severe gum disease. Diseases like diabetes and Alzheimer’s can complicate dental health. For all these reasons, looking after your oral health by visiting the dentist for routine dental examinations is vital. Don’t place your health at risk, call us now at Bespoke Dental Lounge for a tooth and gum check and enjoy all the rewards of maintaining good dental health.