15 Jun The Importance of Dental Check Ups

The Importance of Dental Check Ups

More and more people only visit the dentist when they have a problem. By having infrequent check-ups, it has meant that 31% of adults have tooth decay, 66% having visible plaque and 29% are suffering from toothache.

Many of us ignore the health of our mouth and ignore problems until it is too late.

How Often Should You Visit The Dentist?

At Spires, we offer consultations where you can attend and see our dentist who will advise if you need to visit yearly or every six months. As well as visiting the dentist for checks ups it is important to visit the hygienist who will thoroughly clean your teeth and remove any hard plaque that builds up where you miss with your cleaning.

Why Are Dental Checks Ups and Hygienist Appointments So Important?

Prevention is everything in dentistry.  Dentistry itself is not an alternative to your teeth; it is merely an alternative to having a problem that could have been prevented.

By ignoring the health of your mouth problems cannot be detected earlier. For instance, regular hygienist appointments can ensure your gum health is maintained preventing bone loss around your teeth as well as the smells and tastes that gum infection causes.

Regular dental checks ups can detect the beginnings of tooth decay which if undetected can result in a lot of pain, root canal treatment or an extensive fillings. By visiting the dentist, it means this can be identified earlier and treated with as little work as possible- we don’t need to fill teeth with early decay, instead we can advise you about the problem and employ preventative measures to stop it spreading.

By having regular check-ups can therefore be more cost effective than having to pay for expensive dental work such as tooth replacements, fillings, crowns and treatment of advanced gum disease.

What Are The Health Factors Associated With Bad Oral Hygiene?

We are seeing an increasing amount of evidence in the dental literature that unhealthy gums can lead to other health problems:

1.     Risk for Heart Disease and Stroke

People who have a periodontal disease (gum disease) are twice as likely to develop heart disease because of the narrowing of the arteries that causes plaque and bacteria to get into the blood stream through the mouth and gums.

2.     Risk of Dementia

Poor oral health and tooth loss can increase your risk of suffering from memory loss at an early age. If your gums become inflamed due to infection, this can also cause brain inflammation which could cause death of certain brain cells.

3.     Respiratory Problems

The bacteria that cause periodontal disease can travel through the bloodstream and in to your lungs where it can impact the respiratory system.

4.     Cancer

The number of mouth cancer patients has grown in the past ten years with more than 6,700 people diagnosed in 2015. Mouth cancer can affect the lips, tongue, cheeks and throat. Regular checks ups can help detect the early signs of mouth cancer.

The Cost of Checks Ups

By not taking good care of your oral health it can lead to severe health problems, and expensive dental bills that could have been avoided.

The myth is that private dentistry is expensive however a 20 minute full dental examination is just £44. A 30 minute routine hygienist appointment to remove all the build up and staining around your teeth is £58. Plus, you can spread the cost of your dental care by paying monthly payments of £11.55. Find out more here.

Therefore, if you haven’t been to see your dentist for a while use this blog post as a reminder and motivation to book your appointment today. Please call us on 01543 411088.