You may brush your teeth twice a day and think that everything with your oral health is fine. But if you are skipping your routine dental check-ups, you may have some dental issues that are snowballing without you even knowing it. One example of this is gum disease. Gum disease often progresses painlessly so people don’t know they have it until they already have periodontitis, which is irreversible.
While gum disease is prevalent in this country, it is absolutely manageable with routine dental care. For this, any other reasons, you should remember to see your dentist for preventive dental care, to not only save your health, but also to save you money.
Prevent tooth decay
When you schedule your twice-a-year cleaning, you are doing more than your duty for seeing your dentist when you should. Your dental cleaning can help prevent tooth decay by removing plaque that cannot be removed through regularly brushing. Your dental hygienist or dentist can also diagnose any level of gum disease you may have, which, in the beginning, can actually be reversed. If you neglect your dental care for too long, that is when gum disease can progress to the point where you have to manage and maintain it to prevent tooth loss.
Save money
If your tooth is hurting you and you continue to take ibuprofen instead of seeing your dentist, you may be setting yourself up for a very costly dental treatment. If you have pain in your tooth, you might have an infection that is getting worse. If left untreated, you may eventually need either a crown or a tooth extraction, but if you had gone to the dentist earlier, you probably would have just gotten a root canal and filling. By seeing your dentist for this type of preventive treatment, you will save thousands of dollars over your lifetime, in addition to keeping your natural teeth!
Keep your entire body healthy
Preventive dental care includes flossing, but if you are skipping on the floss, you may have plaque that is building up between your teeth which eventually could lead to more serious health issues. Not flossing is also one of the main reasons people have tooth loss, since tartar that isn’t removed from between your teeth will eventually lead to bone loss, to the point where your jawbone can no longer support your natural teeth.
You will feel better for it
There is a reason many people feel guilty when they see their dentist and lie about their at-home oral hygiene. We all know we should do it, but sometimes good habits are hard to start (just as hard as bad habits are to break!). The truth is, you will feel better not just physically but also mentally when you start to take better care of your health. You will feel really good about taking care of your body and your oral health.
You don’t have to do it alone, though! Here at Las Cruces Dental Solutions, we are here to support you and help you achieve optimal oral health.
Learn More about Preventive Dental Care
