How Regular Dental Checkups Affect Your Overall Health

It is possible to die from an abscessed tooth. As horrible as it may seem, an abscessed tooth can spread bacteria throughout the body, compromising the immune system and threatening your life. If the infected tooth is in your lower jaw, your cheek will likely swell as well as underneath your jaw, which could make swallowing and breathing difficult, if not impossible.

How can you prevent this life-threatening situation from happening to you or someone you love? Use the benefits provided with your all care dental plan to have regular checkups. If your dentist simply taps on a suspicious tooth with a dental instrument, he or she can sometimes diagnose a potential problem, even if you think you have a minor tooth ache.

Your dentist should take x-rays of your teeth occasionally, too. Abscesses show up as dark circular spots at the root of the tooth. Most dentists will take x-rays of a new patient’s teeth to establish a base line of information. Then, if there is a problem in the future, the x-rays can be compared to spot the trouble.

Use your all care dental plan benefits to fill cavities immediately. If left open, bacteria can drain down into the interior of the tooth where it flourishes just out of reach of your toothbrush or mouth wash. These unchecked infections can spread to the nerves and surrounding tissue, or in rare cases throughout the body, causing great pain, hospitalization, and even death.

In 2007, a 12-year-old boy was suffering a toothache. The family’s Medicaid coverage had lapsed, and because they were homeless at the time, they could not afford to take the boy to the dentist and pay out of pocket to have the problem fixed. Like many people, the family tried to treat the tooth ache on their own and avoid the cost to see the dentist.

Unfortunately, bacteria from the boy’s infected tooth spread, eventually reaching his brain. He died one month after first complaining of the toothache. This sad story should not be repeated in your family. See your dentist on a regular basis, and make an emergency appointment at the first sign of trouble. Don’t let the pain drag on, because you can’t know where it will end.

An abscess is a dreaded, painful situation that can drag you down for days. Good preventive care with regular brushing, flossing and rinsing help keep your teeth clean and decay-free. Regular visits to your dental professional using your dental insurance coverage can spot problems you don’t even know are there. It’s better to have your dentist take a look than to guess at what is going on in your mouth.

Poor dental health can lead to serious infections, needless pain, lost productivity and significant financial and social costs. The pain and discomfort caused by dental diseases interferes with a person’s normal functions, such as eating, speaking, learning and social interactions. An all care dental plan protects you and your family from serious harm, simply through preventive care.