If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it 1,000 times. You should visit the dentist twice a year, every six months. It’s true. Those regular dental checkups combined with daily oral hygiene habits are essential to protecting your teeth and health. But do you know exactly why those checkups at a dentist in Port Moody are so important? Here are ten reasons.
1. Remove plaque and tartar:
Your dentist near you will remove plaque and tartar that accumulates on your teeth despite even the most careful daily brushing and flossing. Plaque and tartar are cosmetic issues to be sure, but far more than that.
2. Prevent gum disease:
Plaque and tartar will, unless removed from teeth, can cause gingivitis and, if unchecked, periodontitis. Gum disease is a condition experienced by over half of the adult population but can be prevented by your dentist’s regular removal of plaque and tartar from your teeth.
3. Dental Exam in Port Moody and X-rays:
Many dental conditions can become very serious without producing any symptoms that you would notice. For example, even a tooth infection serious enough to require root canal therapy can develop largely unknown to you. Subtle but concerning conditions will become known to your dentist though, from a review of dental images and X-rays.
4. Enable early detection:
Routine dental examinations near you help your dentist to notice subtle and gradual changes to the condition of your teeth over time, including the progress of gum disease and tooth decay. Gum disease and tooth decay are both progressive conditions that, if left unattended, can have serious consequences but that, if addressed early, can be resolved quickly. For example, gingivitis that is not resolved may advance to periodontitis and may cause tooth loss. Having said that, gum disease and gingivitis noticed early can be halted by a mere rededication to daily dental hygiene.
5. To prevent recurrences:
One of the most problematic aspects of periodontal disease is that it can return in patients who were previously treated for the same condition. The elimination of periodontal disease once does not prevent its return, but only subsequent dental checkups will enable monitoring and quick re-intervention.
6. Reduce the risk of heart disease:
Medical studies have confirmed the links between oral health and cardiac health. Patients with gum disease have been shown to be twice or three times more likely to suffer serious medical conditions such as a heart attack or stroke.
7. Help your kids:
Dental fear and anxiety are extremely common among children, putting aside how common it is among adults as well. One way that you can help your children overcome their fear of the dentist is by demonstrating your own commitment to regular dental checkups and dental cleanings near you and by establishing it as a family priority and routine.
8. Keep your teeth whiter:
Teeth whitening is one of the most popular cosmetic dentistry options available. It helps counteract the inevitable staining effects of many foods and drinks, infections, trauma, age, and even the side effects of medications. Professional teeth whitening is highly effective but doesn’t last forever. Keeping to a schedule of regular dental checkups and teeth cleanings near you will keep those whiter teeth whiter for longer.
9. Use up your insurance benefits:
If you have dental insurance benefits through your employer or elsewhere, those benefits do not accrue from year to year if unused. Rather, it’s use-them-or-lose-them. Is there any point in losing them? Especially if you’ve contributed to paying for them? Get your money’s worth and the full benefit of your benefits by attending your dentist regularly.
10. Get screened for oral cancer:
The five-year survival rate for oral cancer is only 65% if it spreads beyond your mouth before it is detected. If oral cancer is detected before it spreads, that five-survival rate increases to 84% Your dentist will screen you for any indications of potential oral cancer at regular dental checkups.
Dentists in Port Moody are trained, equipped, and eager to partner with you and your family to protect and promote your dental and general health. Regular dental checkups are an important part of that important priority. Are you looking for a dentist near you? Reach out to a dentist in Port Moody and arrange for a checkup as soon as possible.