You brush twice a day, floss regularly, and use a dental rinse as recommended. So, do you still have to keep up with your dental checkups and cleaning in Palo Alto?
The quick answer is yes. It all boils down to prevention.
The mouth, according to the American Dental Association, is considered the window to your overall health. Gum disease has been linked to other ailments such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, to name a few.
How frequently should you have dental checkups and cleaning in Palo Alto?
A visit every six months is the standard recommendation for the average dental patient. However, this is dependent on several factors, and your dentist will usually advise you on how frequently you should visit.
An annual visit may be adequate for low-risk persons who maintain a decent daily oral hygiene program. On the other hand, those with underlying medical issues may need to visit more frequently, especially if they wish to keep up with their preventive dental regimen.
Below are some conditions that may necessitate more regular dental checkups:
- Diabetes
- Pregnancy
- Smoking
- Periodontal (gum) disease
Also, anyone with a weakened immune system as a result of a chronic illness is advised by dentists to schedule frequent visits.
Benefits of regular dental check-ups and cleanings in Palo Alto
Frequent dental visits for examination and cleaning play a key role in oral healthcare, as we will see below:
- Keep cavity, plaque, and tartar off your teeth
Frequent dental cleanings prevent tartar from damaging your teeth, which is how cavities are formed. Most of the time, cavities do not show any early symptoms as they develop. Most of the time, the only symptom you might experience is a minor ache when the tooth is already decayed.
Unfortunately, once that happens, you will need to visit the dentist to have the cavities filled. All of this can be avoided with frequent check-ups and cleanings that take care of cavities and tartar before they become destructive.
- Gum disease check
Besides causing tooth decay, plaque and tartar also harm the mouth gum tissues. Usually, tartar buildup causes an infection on the gums. This form of infection is known as gingivitis, and as it spreads, the gums tissues break down and pull away from the tooth. At this point, you may notice some soreness, bleeding, and swelling in your mouth.
Even worse, gum disease causes deterioration of the bone that keeps the teeth in place. Here, it is not surprising to see your teeth loosening and falling out, necessitating the use of advanced treatment methods by the dentist.
As you might guess, this results in several appointments, which eventually cost you a lot of money. Your money and time can be saved through regular check-ups as suggested by your Palo Alto dentist.
- Keeping bad dental habits in check
Some unhealthy habits can cause dental problems. We are talking about habits such as biting your nails, grinding your teeth, brushing your teeth too hard, smoking, chewing ice, clenching your jaw, and eating particularly sticky sweets. All these can be noticed during a dental check-up, and your dentist will advise you accordingly.
- Oral cancer detection
During a periodical check-up, your dentist will examine the tongue, throat, neck, and mouth areas for any potential anomalies to ascertain whether you are a risk for oral cancer.
Data from the Oral Cancer Foundation shows that one person succumbs to oral cancer every hour of the day in America. Early detection through regular dental check-ups can go a long way for the 54,000 patients diagnosed every year.
- Dentists can provide advice, specific to your needs
Usually, when people have medical-related issues, they turn to the internet, a platform that is full of helpful information but also half-truths. Fortunately, top dentists in Palo Alto are qualified in their profession; hence, they can provide guidance and advice you can trust.
By paying your dentist regular visits, you can build a beneficial relationship that will help them tailor support and advice, specific to your oral needs.
What to do between each dental visit
Be sure to look after your teeth between dental visits. Here are some helpful tips for maintaining good oral hygiene at home:
- Drink fluoridated water and brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste.
- Floss daily
- Cut down on your sugar intake. Sugar increases bacteria growth in the mouth which eventually results in plaque.
- Don’t use tobacco products
- Limit alcoholic drinks
So are dental check-ups and cleaning in Palo Alto worth the effort?
During your regular dental check-ups and cleaning in Palo Alto, the dentists are concerned with more than just tooth repair, as some may think. They clean your teeth properly, examine for irregularities that could otherwise go missed and could be a symptom of broader health issues, and ensure that your gums and teeth are healthy.
Thus, you’ll be doing yourself a big favor in the long term if you stay up with regular dental cleanings and check-ups as advised by the dentist.
Article resources:
Information in this article has been gathered from multiple public health sources, including:
https://www.ada.org/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/
https://oralcancerfoundation.org
https://www.cdc.gov/
