Good Dental Care Is Good for Your Health

Good dental care is about more than keeping your teeth clean. If you are very faithful about brushing, flossing, and rinsing three times a day, every day, chances are you will not need your teeth cleaned by a professional for many years. Neglect these good dental habits for even a short while, and the buildup begins.

Once plaque is on your teeth, it is almost impossible to remove with a manual toothbrush. A little plaque attracts a little more, and the sticky buildup then attracts stains and food particles which can lead to decay.

A small cavity grows over time, makes your teeth sensitive, and can even weaken the tooth so much that it cracks. Infections inside cavities can easily spread to the jaw, cheeks, throat, or even in extreme cases, the brain.

All this can be prevented with good dental care. Start with the habit of taking care of your dental health on your own, and then visit your dentist at least once a year for a thorough checkup.

Checkups go beyond looking at the teeth themselves. Many other health conditions can be detected during a routine oral examination. More than 120 diseases can cause specific signs and symptoms in and around the mouth and jaw.

Mouth and throat cancers can be caught very early by a trained dental professional.

Oral soft tissue lesions which can be pink, red, white, blue, yellow, purple, gray, brown or black can be spotted by the trained eye of your dental professional.

Viral infections of the teeth, gums, throat, tongue, and even sinuses can be seen and addressed during a comprehensive oral examination.

Birth defects such as cleft palate can be treated by a specialist.

Dental professionals can also use today’s dental exams to screen for oral cancers and other health issues that can be difficult to spot on your own.

In addition to dental disease, regular dental checkups can also offer the first clues of other systemic health problems like

Diabetes

Osteoporosis

HIV/AIDS

Cardiovascular disease

You know that seeing your family doctor on a regular basis is important for your general overall health, and for your kids’ health, too. Did your family doctor give your teeth and mouth a quick look last time you were there?

Not using a tongue depressor to look at your throat - actually deliberately looking at your teeth, tongue, gums and cheeks to spot any problems that might be developing. Probably not. Medical clinicians don’t typically look for dental care issues as part of a routine examination.

As American consumers are becoming more health conscious, we are also realizing we must take good care of our teeth as part of a whole health program. You will never need to worry about the health of your teeth, or your children’s teeth, if you formulate an all care dental plan and see your dentist at least once a year for an examination and quick cleaning.