If you are considering missing your next dental checkup because of fear, time or cost, make sure to consider all the risks. Dr Jack shares the 5 reasons you need regular dental checkups.
Oral Cancer Screening
Every day around three Australians are diagnosed with oral cancer. While it may not be the most common cancer, early diagnosis and treatment is essential.
During your screening exam, we will closely assess the inside of your mouth to check for abnormal looking red or white patches or mouth sores. We may also physically feel the tissues in your mouth to check for lumps or other anomalies.
An oral exam cannot determine which sores are cancerous and which are not. So to be on the safe side, we dentist may refer you for further tests to determine the cause of the abnormality. The only way to definitively determine whether you have oral cancer is via a biopsy where some cells are removed and sent to a pathology laboratory for testing.
- Tobacco use of any kind, including cigarettes, cigars, and pipes
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Previous oral cancer diagnosis
Plaque, Calculus, and Cavities
Even with regular brushing and flossing there are areas that will be missed, plaque builds up and becomes difficult to remove. Overtime plaque hardens to calculus, impossible to remove without professional help.
Regular professional cleanings prevent calculus from eroding your teeth causing tooth decay. When a hole starts in your tooth you will not have any warning signs, when you feel an ache in your tooth there is already a cavity formed, requiring a filling. If left untreated, a filling may not be suffice you may require root canal treatment or you may need your tooth removed.
A professional cleaning at Infinity Dental Care is certainly more affordable than getting a filling, or needing extensive dental work, so, if your budget is tight you should make sure not to miss your regular checkup appointment!
Gum Disease
Plaque and calculus not only help tooth decay infect your teeth but can also erode your gums. When calculus causes infection in the connective gum tissue of your teeth you may find they are inflamed, bleed and are sore, this is gum disease.
The dangerous part about gum disease is the breakdown of your bone surrounding your teeth that holds them in place. You may find your teeth begin to loosen or even fall out. The good news is Gum Disease is avoidable with regular professional dental cleans preventing gingivitis before it becomes too severe.
Keeping Bad Habits in Check
Dr Jack knows that no one is perfect! We all carry around a few bad habits that we wouldn’t mind kicking to the curb, maybe 2018 is the year you will say goodbye to one or two of your bad habits.
Bad habits that can have a negative impact on your teeth and gums are:
- Chewing Ice
- Biting your nails
- Clenching your jaw
- Grinding your teeth
- Eating sticky or hard sweets
- Brushing your teeth too hard
- Drinking coffee and red wine
- Smoking
Dr Jack can monitor the damage caused by any of these habits when you come in for regular checkups. Keeping informed of these habits, how they are affecting your teeth and gums allows you to acknowledge and monitor the habit, make changes to your lifestyle as necessary to prevent further damage.
Problems You Can’t See
Many problems that occur in your mouth is under the surface, where you can’t see, in-between your teeth and under any old fillings or crowns. Dr Jack will recommend dental xrays approx. every 2 years, this is a crucial part of your regular checkups at Infinity Dental Care.
Xrays allow Dr Jack to see what is happening beneath the surface, diagnose any issues happening in your mouth that is not seen on the surface. Xrays are regularly used to pick up problems like impacted teeth, infection, tooth decay, abscesses, cysts, and tumours. Treating these issues as soon as possible is critical, without an xray it would be impossible to correctly diagnose.
FIVE Reasons You Need Regular Dental Checkups
Skipping your next dental appointment may seem like a good idea when you are short on time, money or if you are just too worried, but can you risk it? So if you want peace of mind talk to the team at Infinity Dental Care, they can organise an appointment at a time that is best suited for you, and with payment plans available, affordable dentistry is more achievable than ever before.
Dr Jack is available at Infinity Dental Care Monday to Saturday with evening appointments available. Give our team a call on (02) 9838 9111 or drop into our practice at 180 Caroline Chisholm Drive, Winston Hills NSW 2153 or Book Online Here.