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The Importance of Regular Dental Checkups

Posted by Dr. Julie Boudreault On 16-07-2024

Brushing your teeth, flossing, and eating healthy are all very important parts of maintaining your oral health. However, these at-home habits need to work in tandem with professional dental care from a dental clinic. You need to visit a dental clinic every six months for an examination and cleaning. Why are these regular checkups so important? We will explain the reasons in this article.

Why are regular dental checkups important?

1. Early diagnosis of oral health issues

Without regular dental checkups, it’s impossible to detect oral health problems early. This is because most issues are painless during the initial stages. By the time you start feeling pain, the problem has already progressed and will likely require more intensive treatment. Your dentist, however, has the knowledge, experience, and technology to catch developing issues before they become big problems. During your appointment, they look for signs of cavities, gingivitis, gum disease, infection, and oral cancer. Additionally, they may take x-rays to detect issues invisible to the naked eye. These issues include, for example, cavities between your teeth, impacted teeth, bone decay, jaw injury, and more. Remember, just because you don’t have a toothache doesn’t mean your mouth is free from tooth decay or infection! You need a professional to evaluate the health of your mouth to know for sure.

2. Prevention of oral health conditions

Regular checkups at a dental clinic are a crucial component of prevention dentistry. At the end of the day, prevention is the best medicine. Your goal should be to keep your mouth healthy and free from all decay, infection, and disease. That way, you can enjoy a beautiful, functional, and pain-free smile for life. Prevention dentistry includes all the positive oral care habits required to maintain a healthy mouth. It combines your daily at-home routine with lifestyle choices and regular dental checkups. For instance, brushing twice a day, flossing once daily, drinking enough water, and eating a healthy diet all combat bacterial growth and plaque buildup in the mouth, reducing the risk of tooth decay and gum disease. Plaque and tartar removal is also part of your regular dental checkups. Even if you’re brushing twice daily and flossing, some plaque accumulation is normal. You need to visit a dental clinic to have it removed and prevent future cavities. Prevention dentistry also involves identifying potentially problematic behaviour in young children, like thumb sucking. Even orthodontics can be a form of preventive dentistry, since misaligned teeth increase the likelihood of tooth decay and gum disease.

3. Thorough and professional cleaning

Your mouth benefits greatly from a deep clean every six months. Plaque deposits missed by your at-home brushing turn into tartar, which is impossible to remove without professional dental equipment. Brushing and flossing just won’t cut it! This means that you must visit your dentist to have tartar buildup removed. If left unaddressed, plaque and tartar will wear down the protective tooth enamel, leaving the inner tooth vulnerable to decay and infection. At your regular checkup, a dental hygienist performs a thorough cleaning to remove plaque and tartar deposits. This process is called scaling. Afterwards, your teeth are polished to remove surface stains. Your smile may be noticeably brighter and whiter as a result.

4. Maintain the appearance of your smile

Your regular dental checkups involve light stain removal through a process called polishing. Polishing and scaling leave your teeth feeling cleaner and looking brighter. A bright, healthy, and glowing smile is a great confidence boost! Plaque, tartar, and stains, however, aren’t the only things that can compromise the appearance of your teeth and make you hesitant to show off your smile. Orthodontic issues, like misaligned, crowded, or crooked teeth, can also affect your confidence. At your checkup, you can ask your dentist about Invisalign aligners or SureSmile clear braces, which discreetly and effectively improve your smile’s appearance. Teeth whitening procedures are also a great option for heavily stained teeth.

5. Consult with your dentist on cosmetic procedures

Your Milton dental clinic offers a wide range of cosmetic procedures that dramatically improve the look of your smile. These professional treatments are perfectly safe and highly effective. You can transform your smile (and your confidence) with the help of a professional dental clinic like Milltown Dental. We provide various cosmetic dental services ranging from teeth whitening to porcelain veneers. Over time, teeth can become yellow and fade because of genetics, age, smoking, or simply drinking too much coffee. Unlike over-the-counter whitening products, our teeth-whitening treatments won’t damage your tooth enamel or leave you unsatisfied with the results.

6. Learn how to best care for your teeth

Great dental clinics are also educators. As your oral health partner, we want you to know how to best care for your teeth so that you can have an attractive and functional smile for life. We’re available to explain techniques, offer tips, provide dietary counselling, and give advice on lifestyle changes that will benefit your oral health. Ultimately, we want to make sure that your teeth and gums are well-looked after during the months between your appointments. Furthermore, proper at-home oral care means your teeth will be in better shape every time you visit our clinic. Not only will your appointments be faster, but you’re less likely to need lengthy, invasive, or expensive treatments.

7. Prevention is less expensive than treatment

Oral health treatments can be costly. It is significantly more economical to invest in regular dental checkups and preventative dentistry than intensive and invasive treatments, especially for preventable conditions. Simply coming to visit us every six months for a full examination and professional cleaning can prevent high dental bills later on. If you neglect your oral health and end up needing a more intensive procedure, then your recovery time will also be longer. You’ll likely need to take a few days off work, which can be costly, depending on your profession.

8. Oral health and overall health are connected

Your oral health is linked to your overall health. Tooth decay, infection, and disease in the mouth can lead to disease and negative health outcomes elsewhere in the body. For example, some studies have found possible connections between periodontal disease and heart disease, respiratory infections, and endocarditis. Gum disease has also been shown to impact pregnant women, leading to premature birth and low birth rate.

Schedule Your Next Checkup at Milltown Dental

Regular checkups at a knowledgeable and modern dental clinic are essential for your oral health. An experienced dental team detects health issues early and prevents future issues from developing. Not only does this maintain the long-term appearance and function of your smile, but it’s also more cost-effective. At Milltown Dental, we take a proactive approach to your oral health. We address all your dental needs with comprehensive preventative, diagnostic, and restorative services. With our help, you can enjoy a beautiful, healthy smile for life. To schedule your next dental checkup, call Milltown Dental at (833) 318-3281 or contact us here.

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