Of all the things you can do to improve your health, taking care of your teeth registers high on the list. Unfortunately, many adults and children across the United States routinely neglect their oral wellbeing. As a result, nearly a third of individuals between age 20 and age 40 wind up having cavities that are never treated by a dentist.
If you’re interested in living a healthier life, do yourself a favor and make taking care of your teeth a priority. Even if it’s been years since you last visited a dental professional, you can quickly get back on track and avoid problems ranging from gingivitis and gum disease to loose teeth and systemic problems related to untreated periodontal disease.
Below are just a few of the many ways that taking care of your teeth with the help of a dentist or periodontist can improve your life.
You Will Be Able to Keep Your Natural Adult Teeth Longer
Everyone’s baby teeth eventually fall out, only to be replaced by permanent replacements. Nevertheless, if you don’t prioritize taking care of your teeth, you put yourself at risk of having them fall out or become so severely decayed that they require extraction.
What’s the big deal about losing a tooth or two, especially if it’s a back tooth or molar you can’t see? As any dental care expert will tell you, a lost tooth is an opportunity for other problems. When you lose a tooth and don’t replace it with a dental implant, the bone strength begins to decline in the general area. Very soon, the loss of bone can lead the surrounding teeth to shift. Bone loss can also encourage the development of gum disease throughout the rest of the mouth.
Just visiting a dentist and receiving dental treatment twice yearly can help ward off these concerns. As soon as your dentist suspects you have something wrong, he or she can provide you with suggestions to fix or manage the underlying issue. Every tooth you save can help you avoid long-term worries, and possibly the need for traditional or implant-supported denture devices down the road.
You Can Get State-of-the-Art Treatment in Attractive Surroundings
Have you avoided going to the dentist and taking care of your teeth because you thought that all dentist offices were scary places? You may have something called dental phobia, also known as dental fear. But modern dental practices are nothing like you might remember from your childhood.
The vast majority of dentists practicing in America have already undergone dental office renovation projects to bring advancements to their spaces. It’s not unusual for patients to be able to get treatments while sitting in massage chairs, or be able to get healthy snacks while they wait for their appointments. You’ll be surprised at how little today’s dentist practices resemble those from just a generation ago.
If you’re not convinced, you can always schedule a consultation for dental treatment with a local dentist in your area. Ask him or her for a tour of the facility and find out for yourself just how much dentist firms have grown since you last visited a dental care professional. From advanced technology to sedation dentistry, dentists have a lot to offer their patients aside from great basic healthcare.
You Can Learn Improved Techniques for Taking Care of Your Teeth
It’s kind of surprising to think about, but you might not be brushing or flossing correctly. Alternatively, you could be using the wrong type of toothbrush for your needs or making your life miserable by using a toothpaste that isn’t helping your tooth or gum sensitivity concerns. However, you’ll never know how to make improvements until you start a conversation with a trusted dentist or hygienist.
When you have a dentist as part of your medical team, you can get the inside scoop on better ways of taking care of your teeth. Often, dentists and their hygienists will make recommendations so they’re sure you know how to make the most of your dental care at home. They will probably give you samples of soft-bristled toothbrushes and specialized toothpaste.
The next time you visit your dentist, start asking how you can be more successful about taking care of your teeth on a daily basis. Feel free to ask for their recommendations of products from tooth floss to water picks. And get ready to jot down their answers. You can never have too much insider information or tips from your dental providers.
You Can Find Out About Innovative Ways to Finance Your Dental Treatments
Are you worried about how you’re going to pay for dental fillings or another treatment that you know you need? Many dentists work with financing companies to help patients pay for the care that they need. For example, some dental practice sales techniques include working with patients to submit forms to third-party financing companies. The companies may even work with people with so-so credit.
It never hurts to ask about financing when you’re inquiring with a new dentist as part of your efforts for taking care of your teeth. Just talk to the person who answers the phone. Some good questions to ask include: “How do you like to accept payment?” “Do you work with third-party financing firms?” “Do I have to pay before treatment or will you bill me in installments?” The answers you receive can help you decide which dentist is the right one for your family and financial situation.
As a side note, ask your employer about dental insurance. Some employers offer dental insurance separately, and you might not think about it until you move forward with taking care of your teeth. It never hurts to find out whether your employer has made arrangements with a dental insurance carrier. Even if you have to pay monthly premiums out of pocket, they might be lower than what you would pay for individual visits to your dentist every year.
You Will Make Going to the Dentist Seem Like No Big Deal to Your Kids
Let’s say that you haven’t been good about going to the dentist. You can’t even remember the last time you had your teeth professionally cleaned. If that’s the case, your children probably haven’t seen a dental professional for child dental care, either. That’s a shame because dental treatment helps kids stay healthy. The sooner you start a relationship with a dentist, you’ll give your kids a reason to take care of their teeth.
It’s a fact of parenting: Children emulate what their parents do. Explain that you’re interested in taking care of your teeth and will be going to the dentist. Then, tell them that they’ll be getting their teeth and gums examined at a family dentist, too. Your children might be apprehensive at first, especially if you haven’t ever taken them to the dentist before. Be patient and understanding, but be firm that taking care of your teeth is critical for good health.
Wondering how the dentist will feel if your children start to cry or get anxious while at their first appointments? Dentists are accustomed to this happening. In fact, pediatric dentists learn techniques to help calm kids and make them want to come back again and again. Don’t fret about what could happen. Instead, schedule appointments for you and your children.
You Will Have Someone to Call If an Accident Happens
The last thing you want to experience is a dental emergency where you’re not sure whom to call. As a patient at your dentist’s office, you’ll be able to call one number and come in, possibly during non-business hours, to get treatment.
Even if you don’t currently have a dentist helping you, many dentists still offer emergency care to non-patients. They might be a little harder to find, though, so it’s best to have a family dentist who already knows your mouth, gums, and health history.
As a side note, you might wonder what constitutes a dental emergency. In other words, when should you call a dentist for a problem? Common dental emergencies include a tooth that has been knocked out, a tooth that has been severely damaged or broken, a tooth that turns very painful, a tooth that becomes so loose that it seems like it will come out, and a tooth that turns dark gray without warning.
Your Dentist Can Spot Health-Related Red Flags Early
Did you realize that dentists often discover health problems early? You might not even know that you have a problem, but your dentist can spot it by the way your teeth, gums, and breath look, function, react, and even smell. After all, their medical training includes a deeper understanding of the hard and soft tissues of the mouth, and how they’re linked to other systems in your body.
Take early detection of several types of oral cancer, for instance. When you go for a routine appointment at the dentist’s office, your hygienist will perform a manual and visual inspection of your tongue and cheek in the search for anything unusual. Plenty of cases of oral cancer have been detected with a simple exam at the dentist’s office.
Oral cancer isn’t the other health issue that a dentist may suspect. Depending on the appearance or odor of your gums, your dentist may think that you have the beginning stages of diabetes, or may even be pregnant. It’s good to have someone looking out for you while also taking care of your teeth.
Remember: The whole body is connected. What happens in your mouth affects your system and vice versa. Consequently, your dentist may advise you to visit another healthcare provider.
You Can Feel More Confident Thanks to Cosmetic Dentistry Treatments
Do you struggle to smile in pictures? Do you often wish that you had straighter or whiter teeth? While slight imperfections are no big deal, major ones can contribute to lowered self-esteem and even practical problems.
At your next dental appointment, don’t just focus on taking care of your teeth but on improving them with cosmetic dental care. Treatments including orthodontics, tooth whitening, placement of tooth crowns, placement of dental implants, placements of dental bridges, and porcelain veneers can completely change the way you feel about yourself.
If you’ve ever wished that your smile was more beautiful, now is the time to find out your options. Many cosmetic treatments are quite quick, such as teeth whitening procedures. In one or two visits, your teeth could lose their yellowish cast and seem brighter. Even more invasive treatments like laser gum surgery may be less expensive than you imagined.
You Can Avoid the Problems Associated With Advanced Gum Disease
Gum disease is a progressive condition that eats away at your teeth, gums, and bone. Without intervention, gum disease will continue to destroy and damage your teeth. People who never get any dental care for their gum disease will eventually lose all their teeth, as well as hurt their gums and jawbone.
Instead of ignoring warning signs of gum disease such as bleeding gums, red gums, and painful gums, you should definitely start taking care of your teeth by visiting a dentist or periodontist. A periodontist specializes in treating patients with periodontal problems including gum disease. The sooner you get on a dentist’s or periodontist’s calendar, the better.
You should know that if you are diagnosed with gum disease, you’ll have to get special deep cleanings a few times a year. These will be in addition to more routine cleanings. The deep cleanings will remove aggressive bacteria from between your teeth and gums, reducing the chance of gum disease spreading or growing.
Make Taking Care of Your Teeth a Regular Part of Your Healthcare Regimen
Here’s the truth about any habit: After you do it for a while, it becomes normal and easy. The same thing will happen when you incorporate dental care into your healthcare practices. Just as you would call your physician for advice about a mild sore throat, you’ll begin to think of your dentist when you experience anything out of the ordinary with your teeth.
Why wait? Get a family dentist for you and everyone in your household today.