Why are bi-annual checkups at a dental practice necessary?
You are probably well-familiar with the urgings of dental authorities to have professional dental checkups every six months. With so many other demands on their time, many people forego these critical oral health checkups. After all, there is no obvious problem with their teeth.
At our dental Coorparoo practice, Brisbane Laser Dentist, we encourage patients of all ages to attend these routine checkup appointments as the benefits of doing so help protect overall health and well-being.
Why dental checkups are important
If you are guilty of skipping dental checkups at your dental Coorparoo practice often, you may be placing more than just the health of your teeth and gums at risk.
In the past, it was usual to only book an appointment at your dental Coorparoo practice when a poor oral health issue became intolerable to live with – the distracting pain just wouldn’t go away, or you had difficulty in biting or chewing.
Nowadays, we dental practitioners don’t just want to treat dental diseases, we want to prevent them from occurring in the first place. And preventive dentistry is one of the key benefits of dental checkups.
How preventive dentistry works
When you come in for a dental checkup, the very first obligation of the dental practitioner is to have a look inside your mouth. This physical examination is all-important because it is a golden opportunity to evaluate teeth and gum health to identify signs of dental disease. Dental diseases don’t just erupt overnight but are the result of a process of oral health neglect.
Before you can get to tooth loss, there is the accumulation of plaque deposits on tooth enamel. If these deposits are not treated with professional dental care, they will eventually cause cavities. If left untreated, these cavities can lead to more serious dental health issues, such as tooth infections and tooth loss.
The same happens with gum disease. If the bad bacteria in the mouth are left to overpopulate the mouth, this can create an ideal environment for gum disease to set in and progress.
A professionally-qualified dental practitioner is best placed to notice changes in the mouth that indicate a lack of proper oral hygiene control – the sole cause of plaque build-up on teeth and gums.
Once these troubling signs are identified, the next step is to implement a preventive dental measure to stop the minor problem from turning into a major one.
At the end of the day, preventive dental measures help save the patient from a dental health issue becoming a dental emergency and from experiencing needless pain and discomfort. There are benefits in terms of money and time to consider too – dental checkups and preventive dental treatments are not as invasive as more complex dental procedures such as root canal therapy used to treat major dental problems. Preventive dental treatments require fewer visits to the dental chair than treating advanced stages of dental disease.
A dental checkup is necessary even if you are not experiencing any problematic symptoms since some dental diseases are hard to detect and need the knowing eye of a dental practitioner to identify the signs. Take a step closer to optimal dental health and function by scheduling an appointment with us at Brisbane Laser Dentist.
DISCLAIMER
All treatment carries risks. Individual consultation is required with one of our practitioners to ensure that the treatment is right for you.