Americans place a lot of importance on having a healthy smile. When surveyed by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD), nearly all (99.7%) admitted they place a lot of social importance on this attribute. Moreover, nearly 74% of all people surveyed think not having a good looking smile can hurt their career and a full 96% think their smile can make them more attractive to a person whom they are interested in dating. Despite all of this, only about 62% of American adults visit the dentist at least once a year. Most experts recommend adults visit a general dentist once every six months.
7 Reasons to See a General Dentist Regularly:
- Keeping your mouth healthy is a good way to keep your body healthy. People know that maintaining good oral hygiene is good for keeping your gums and teeth in their best shape but many people do not see the link between oral health and overall health but it is there. There are at least 120 different diseases that can be detected early with a dental check up.
- Better dental care can lead to better health in women. The University of California at Berkeley has researched the link between oral health and overall health. Researchers found that women who get regular dental check ups and who take good care of their teeth are able to reduce their risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death among women, by about one-third. Your general dentist can detect and help diagnose health problems before even you know you have them.
- Regular dental check ups can help prevent oral cancer. Regular dental check ups give your general dentist a chance to look for oral cancer. Like other cancers, the earlier it is detected and treatment begins, the better the chances are that it can be effectively treated.Your best defense against cancer of the mouth is regular check ups to find it and deal with it when it is at an early stage. Oral cancer is the 6th most common form of cancer in the United States.
- Getting regular dental check ups can save your teeth. By the time you feel pain in your mouth, your dental problem has gotten very large. When the general dentist looks over your mouth, they can find problems before they are large. Finding small problems before they start to bother you is very important to treating them easily. They can even spot areas where cavities may be on the verge of appearing so they can be dealt with easily and painlessly.
- Get better breath. Going to your general dentist regularly will make your breath smell better. Some dental problems lead to bad breath. By seeing the general dentist regularly, these problems can be treated easily.
- Routine dental care can save your gums. At least 30% of American adults who are over the age of 30 years old have some degree of gum disease. By treating it early, you can avoid invasive procedures that are needed when the gum disease becomes advanced. Treating this early will also prevent it from causing you to lose any of your teeth.
- Dental professionals can get your mouth much more clean than you can at home. There is nothing quite like the fresh from the dentist clean feeling you have after a professional cleaning. Most Americans put a high premium of how white our teeth look. Getting a cleaning with a whitening can take years off of how you look. Most people (over 82%) see a big difference after they have their dentist do a professional whitenig.
Going to the general dentist can be very stressful for many people. The good news is that all dental offices are aware of the fact that so many people are scared to go that they have policies to make even the most frightened patients feel safe and at home. The key to having a good experience when you go in for your regular dental check ups is to develop a good rapport with the general dentist and their staff. Regular dental check ups coupled with a good regimen of brushing, flossing and rinsing can help keep you and your smile healthy and happy for many years.
