5 Reasons to Schedule Your Next Dental Exam ASAP

Life tends to get in the way of good intentions — as long as you feel fine, it’s easy to put off routine dental checkups. But if it’s been six months or longer since your last dental exam, you risk more than your dental health. Dental problems can affect your overall health.

You won’t be surprised to learn that the team at La Grange Dental Studio is passionate about helping our community enjoy exceptional dental health, beautiful white smiles, and a life free from the risk of dental infections and tooth loss.

The only way our team can support your optimal dental care is when you schedule and keep routine checkups. Let’s explore the top five reasons you should schedule exams.

Finding tooth decay early

Cavities don’t suddenly appear. Decay takes months or years to develop and cause enough damage for you to feel pain or sensitivity. And that’s a problem.

The slow progression without symptoms means you won’t have an early warning sign that your tooth is decaying. By the time you have a toothache, you may have extensive decay or an infection.

When you have regular dental exams, we find the earliest signs of decay. At that stage, we can often repair the cavity without an extensive and more costly restoration.

Preventing gum disease

The thorough cleaning performed during your exam does more than bring out your beautiful smile; it also prevents gum disease. 

We use special instruments to remove plaque and tartar. This step is crucial because tartar is essentially fossilized plaque which you can’t remove by brushing at home.

Tartar holds living bacteria against your teeth, giving them time to erode the enamel, cause decay, and invade your gums. Then, gum infection (gingivitis) begins, setting the stage for advanced gum disease and tooth loss.

Regular dental checkups clear away all the tartar, preventing cavities and gingivitis.

Improving your dental hygiene

We take time during your exam to teach about dental hygiene, recommend products that target any dental issues you may have, and answer questions about caring for your teeth.

Sometimes, people who keep getting cavities learn that their brushing technique could be improved or that a different type of brush or toothpaste may help prevent decay.

Parents often have questions about when children can brush without supervision or how to motivate their kids to brush twice daily. Our team is here to give you the information you need.

Screening for oral cancer

If you’re like most of our patients, you don’t realize that we routinely look for signs of oral cancer during exams. We look for sores, lumps, and red or white patches on your gums, tongue, tonsils, and the tissues lining your cheeks and mouth.

We may also check for lumps in your neck, especially if you have a high risk factor for oral cancer, like smoking.

Why do we screen for oral cancer? Because oral cancers are the eighth most common cancer in men. Though most are diagnosed around age 64, 20% of all oral cancers are diagnosed in people younger than 55.

Protecting your overall health

Dental exams protect your overall health in two ways: preventing problems beyond your mouth and finding early signs of chronic health conditions. 

Finding signs of chronic health conditions

The first signs of some health conditions appear in your mouth long before you experience symptoms, such as:

• Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
• Crohn’s disease
• Chronic adrenal insufficiency
• Systemic lupus erythematosus

We recognize oral signs of disease during your exam and alert you to the problem so you can see your physician.

Preventing chronic health conditions

The bacteria responsible for cavities and gum disease can easily get into your bloodstream. As they circulate through your body, they cause inflammation and contribute to serious health problems like high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and pneumonia.

Skipping a dental exam means you don’t get the deep cleaning that eliminates bacteria. The longer bacteria remain on your teeth, the higher the risk of them going systemic.

Ready to schedule your next exam? Call La Grange Dental Studio today or connect online to request an appointment and get back in the habit of protecting your dental health.