Why A Regular Dental Checkup Is Important

A visit to the dentist is every person’s worse nightmare. Lying down on the dentist’s chair with your mouth open, and the dentist examining it using weird instruments - who would like that?

However, in order to keep your teeth and gums healthy, it is essential that you visit your dentist regularly. Here are several reasons why a regular dental checkup is important for you: 

1) Helps in Getting Rid of Cavity, Plaque, and Tartar

Even if you take special care of your oral hygiene, there are still some areas in your mouth that you cannot clean with regular brushing and flossing. As a result, plaque builds up in these areas, and if left uncleaned, it turns into tartar, which is impossible to get rid of without professional help.

Regular checkups prevent tartar from damaging your teeth and making holes in them, which leads to cavities. A cavity can decay your tooth, and then you have to get a tooth filling or, in serious cases, extraction. Therefore, it’s best if you get plaque cleaned earlier on. 

2) Helps Prevent Gum Disease

Plaque and tartar do not only affect your teeth but your gums too. One of the most common diseases caused by tartar is gingivitis, in which the gum pulls away from the tooth due to an infection caused by tartar buildup in the part of the gum that is connected to the tooth.

The infection starts showing symptoms at later stages when it has progressed enough to cause the tissue that connects the gum and the teeth to break down. At this point, the only option left is an invasive treatment, which is not only painful but expensive too. Thus, it is best to get your teeth cleaned by a professional regularly.

3) Makes it Easier to Detect Oral Cancer

Oral cancer is a serious disease that is usually left undiagnosed because it does not have any distinct symptoms. It can progress quickly and become life-threatening. Fortunately, if diagnosed at an early stage, it can be easily cured.

Visiting your dentist every six months increases the likelihood of oral cancer getting detected at an early stage. Your dentist can easily recognize the signs and symptoms and start treatment immediately if he/she finds any oral abnormality. 

4) Other Health Issues Are Also Detected

An added benefit of regular dental checkups is the detection of other health issues, such as lymph node cancer. Many of these diseases are curable if diagnosed at an early stage - and your dentist can do that.

In addition to examining your mouth thoroughly, your dentist will also check your neck, lymph nodes, and jaw for swelling or any other abnormality. If he finds anything unusual, he can recommend another doctor who you can seek treatment from immediately.

These are just some of the many reasons why you should not skip or delay your dental appointment. Although it might not seem like a big deal, it can turn into one very quickly. So call your dentist’s office and set up an appointment today!