Many people aren’t terribly eager about going to the dentist. While some people avoid their dentist’s office out of fear or anxiety, others may forgo scheduling their next exam because they think they are too busy. Some people even think that they should only seek dental help once their teeth start hurting. In any case, skipping your routine dental cleanings can have serious consequences for your oral health later on. Here’s a brief description of what happens when you skip your oral exams and cleanings to keep you motivated about proper dental care.
Plaque Accumulation Continues
While brushing and flossing are excellent ways to eliminate most of the plaque and food debris that can build up in your mouth, it is not possible for an untrained individual to adequately clean all of the nooks and crannies in their own mouth. Professional dental cleanings eliminate plaque and bacteria in hard-to-reach places such as below the gumline and give you the chance to receive hygiene advice from a qualified dentist.
If you don’t have your mouth professionally cleaned, accumulation of plaque and food debris will continue in places you cannot reach on your own. This will eventually lead to nasty oral infections like tooth decay and gum disease.
Tooth Decay Advances
Tooth decay is an infection of the dental tissue that will not go away on its own, and it will lead to tooth loss and possibly dangerous secondary infections if it is allowed to progress. Tooth decay can be unnoticeable to an untrained individual in its early stages, meaning that it may advance to the point of causing visible damage to the tooth or severe pain before a person realizes that it is there. Regular dental exams and cleanings allow your dentist to catch and address cavities in their early stages before they do much damage.
Oral Health Problems Go Undetected
The human mouth is a beautiful and marvelous thing, but there are a lot of things that can go wrong with it if it doesn’t receive the proper care. Without regular dental exams, a person may never realize that they have issues like hidden decay, gum disease, enamel damage due to grinding, or even oral cancer until these issues lead to serious consequences. During your dental exam, your dentist will take care to check for these problems so they can be appropriately treated.
About the Author
Dr. Mike Christensen earned his dental degree at the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco, where he graduated with honors as a member of the Tau Kappa Omega Honor Society. He is proud to be a member of the American Dental Association, the Utah Dental Association, and the Academy of General Dentistry. His office in Soldotna offers general, restorative, cosmetic, and emergency dentistry. To book your next exam and cleaning, contact his office online or dial (907) 420-3938.