Top 5 Reasons to Go to the Dentist

Dental appointments are not just for when problems occur. Dental care is for prevention to keep your teeth and gums healthy so problems don’t occur. Most people tend to dread going to the dentist for their teeth cleaning visits. But, teeth cleaning is simple and usually painless. Unless told otherwise, dental cleanings should occur about every six months for the best tooth health. 

At Westdale Dental, we understand going to the dentist can be scary for some. However, knowing what is going on during your dental care appointment can help ease your stress. Here are some of the top reasons to go to the dentist. 

Cavity Detection

Sometimes when you brush and floss your teeth you are unable to reach those small hidden cracks. Therefore, if you never reach them, they never get cleaned. If those hidden cracks in between teeth are not cleaned well, that can lead to cavities! However, when you visit the dentist regularly they are able to clean out those hard to reach areas to help prevent cavities. 

A cavity doesn’t just appear. First, plaque gets stuck in those hard to reach areas and turns into tartar. Secondly, if tartar is left untreated, it will begin to erode your teeth and cause cavities to form. You may start to feel pain in your teeth when they start to decay. Tooth pain is a definite sign you need to get to the dentist. 

If you catch the tartar and plaque early enough, the dental hygienist can focus on removing them so cavities don’t start to form. Tartar can only be removed by a dentist, which is why it is important to get a cleaning scheduled. In the meantime, make sure you brush and floss! 

Gum Problems

Your gums are an important part of your mouth. If you start to notice your gums are getting red, puffy, bleeding often, or all of the above, you need to see your dentist. You should also look into your family’s dental history to see if gum disease is common. 

We mentioned above how plaque and tartar can cause cavities, but they can also affect your gums as well.  Tartar and cavities can cause your gums to become infected which can turn into full-blown gingivitis. Once this happens, you could potentially start losing your teeth and you may even be required to see a specialist. This is another reason why regular dental exams are so important. 

X-Rays

Usually, during your regular visit, your dentist will request x-rays to make sure everything is looking good beneath your gums. Some issues cannot be seen from the outside, which is why x-rays are so important. Some things your dentist will be looking for with x-rays are:

  • Impacted Teeth
  • Jawbone Damage
  • Decay
  • Tumors
  • Cysts

Early Detection of Cancer

Dentists are trained to be able to spot many signs and problems, such as oral cancer. This reason should be a strong enough push to go see your dentist. Spotting cancer early is the best possible outcome to prevent cancer from becoming life-threatening. Luckily, an early oral cancer diagnosis is often treatable. 

Oral cancer can show up in numerous different ways, making it hard to detect to the blind eye. This is where the dentist steps in and spots the signs. The screening the dentist will do is very simple. With the oral cancer exam, you can expect:

  • A Velscope
  • Non-invasive
  • Pain-free
  • Only last a couple of minutes
  • A light shined inside your mouth to catch signs of dead tissue caused by tumors

Your dentist will also check for red and white patches in your mouth that are out of the ordinary. Usually, these checkups come back clean. However, you never know when they could potentially save your life (or teeth).

Dental Work

Last but not least, dental work. Dental care work can include:

  • Crowns
  • Fillings
  • Implants
  • Dentures

It is very important to keep a regular schedule with your dentist. Once you have major dental work like any of the above, it is important that you keep up with them to make sure everything is functioning as it should. Going long periods of time after having work done will cause more serious issues down the road. Make sure you let your dentist catch these problems before they get out of hand.

Keeping on top of your oral health is important for many reasons, and no one is more qualified than your dentist. Give Westdale Dental a call today and get your visit scheduled.