There Is No "One Key" To Great Dental Health

Three Reasons Why You Need Regular Dental Exams

While getting regular dental exams is a necessary part of keeping oral hygiene in good shape, many people neglect to go as often as they should. If you know you're overdue for seeing a dentist for a cleaning and exam, you should consider making a change. Here are three of the biggest reasons why you shouldn't skip your regular dental exams.

Tartar

Tartar is a small thing, but it can cause seriously big problems. Tartar is the hardened form of plaque, and it's something that folks are powerless against at home.

Unlike plaque, tartar can't be removed with the tools available to you at home. Only a dentist or dental hygienist's skilled hand and specialized equipment can get rid of it. This is important to commit to because tartar can cause both cavities and gum disease. Once these problems become serious enough, they're impossible to reverse without the help of a dentist. Stop them before they start by getting regular cleanings and ridding yourself of built-up dental tartar.

Hidden Problems

Not every problem that people's oral health goes through has obvious signs from the outside. Sometimes, things can happen that only a skilled expert can find with a careful examination.

For example, some people can develop chips out of their teeth or small cracks or breakage underneath the gums. This can cause a lot of pain but generally isn't visible at all from the outside because it's hidden by your gums. Thankfully, dental x-rays and in-depth examinations can discover this kind of problem and fix them.

Another example is tooth resorption. This is an odd disorder where the body acts like an adult tooth is a baby tooth and starts to absorb it so that a new one can move in. Unfortunately, this process isn't supposed to happen to adult teeth, and without a third tooth to replace it, you could end up having a gap in your smile without help.

Cancer Check

Finally, dentists are pros at detecting early signs of oral cancer, not just taking care of your teeth. Not everyone will develop oral cancer in their lifetime, but many people will. Like all forms of cancer, catching it early on is integral to beating it once and for all. Don't let your entire life potentially be at risk just because you can't make time for the dentist.

Visiting a dentist on a regular basis should be a part of your routine just like seeing a doctor once a year for a physical is. If you haven't seen a dentist for a while, make an appointment ASAP.


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