Dental hygiene matters a lot to a person. It affects your social life and physical health. Friends and colleagues tend to stay away from someone who is known to have bad breath. Also, if you’re the person who has a problem with dental hygiene, you may be experiencing low self-esteem.
The things mentioned above present a strong case of why it’s crucial for someone to regulary visit a dental clinic. If you’re in Eugene, Oregon, there are many affordable licensed dentists around. Maintaining your dental health doesn’t have to cost you an arm.
Below are some other reasons for you to visit your dentist:
- Early detection of possible dental problems
A dental visit has two parts – the first part is the checkup and the second is the cleaning. Your dentist will check your gums and teeth. In addition, they may also include your neck, head, and lymph nodes.
These are the things that your dentist may alarm you with:
- Gum disease – Plaque and tartar build-ups don’t only cause tooth decay, but it also affects the gum tissues. The build-up causes an infection wherein the gums will pull away from the tooth. This condition is called gingivitis.
As it worsens, there’ll be breaking down of the tissue that attaches the gum to the person’s teeth. A person may experience bleeding and swelling. Aside from the tissue breaking down, gum disease may also cause the bones that hold the teeth in place to break. If these two conditions occur, it means serious treatment that may include extreme deep cleaning, surgery, and medication.
- Oral cancer diagnosis – An ordinary individual won’t catch the signs and symptoms of oral cancer. Your dentist, on the other hand, is a professional who’s trained to recognize oral cancer. This type of cancer, just like other types, requires early detection for successful treatment.
One of the exams that a dentist will use to see if there’s some dead tissue from tumors is a VELscope Cancer exam. The exam is non-invasive and may only take up to two minutes.
- Detection of dental problems through Xray – There are some oral conditions that cannot be seen by the naked eye, one of which is impacted teeth. An impacted tooth can only be detected through an X-ray.
Other potential damages on the teeth and jawbone will also be seen. Cris Dental and other clinics in Eugene, Oregon, have dental X-ray services that you can take advantage of during your visit.
- Cleaning and filling of damaged teeth
As mentioned earlier, this is the second part of your visit and is equally important as the first. Since the checkup has already been made, your dentist is already aware of the troubled areas concerning your teeth. Usually, cleaning will be done. Dental fillings may also be performed on some teeth, depending on the results of the first part of your dental visit.
- Cleaning – When plaque becomes tartar, it can no longer be removed by simple brushing. This is where a dentist comes into play. That solidified plaque needs to be removed, so it won’t cause the formation of cavities. You wouldn’t really know that your tooth is already decaying inside until such time that it starts to bother you with small aches.
- Filling – If cavities have already resulted in tooth decay, a filling will be performed by your dentist. Your regular checkup will remedy the issues before it gets worse that you’ll have to suffer terrible toothaches. If you’re already experiencing too much pain, then you might end up losing a tooth.
- Educate you on proper dental care
Even if you’re brushing and flossing your teeth more than twice a day, there’s a huge chance that you’re doing it the wrong way. A dental hygienist will show you the proper way of taking care of your teeth and gums since the person is trained to do so.
For a start, evaluate your regular dental care if you’re following these:
- Brushing your teeth twice a day. It has to be a thorough brushing. Take time in doing it and don’t rush. Most dentists agree that proper brushing takes at least two minutes. Sing a song in your mind for you to have a good estimate on how long you’re brushing your teeth.
- Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and one that fits your mouth well. You may also consider using a battery-operated toothbrush. It gives you the consistency of strokes in brushing your teeth.
- As you brush your teeth, position your toothbrush in an angle where you can aim both the gums and teeth. Brush the outside and the inside of your teeth as well as the surface for chewing. Also, don’t forget to include your tongue when brushing.
- Make sure that your toothbrush is stored in a clean location. Place it in an upright position to air-dry the bristles. Don’t put it in a covered container as it will encourage bacteria to grow. Avoid cross-contamination by separating it from other toothbrushes. Then, know when to replace it. It is best to change your toothbrush every three months.
- Gives you the chance to rethink your unhealthy habits
Unhealthy habits may include smoking, eating sweets, chewing ice, nail biting, teeth grinding, and others. Eating sweets and drinking coffee isn’t bad at all so long as you’re mindful of their effects to your dental health and would proactively limit yourself to avoid harming your teeth.
If you aren’t the kind of person who’s conscious about your dental hygiene, then your dentist would greatly help you by talking you through the damages that may arise from neglecting your dental health.
Conclusion
As they say, prevention is always better than cure. You might find regular dentist visits as an extra expense, but if you think of the dental issues you’ll avoid because you stick to your schedule, you’ll realize that it’s worth it. You don’t want to compromise your health, and part of it is the dental part of your body. This may be just a small portion of your body, but if you’ve already experienced at least one terrible toothache, you know that this is one portion is something you don’t want to mess with.
