Regular Dental Check Ups Visits- Why important?

Doctor's recommendations by hiDental

As general health maintenance, you should also consider your oral health with as much concern as other common health issues. Most of us do not pay enough attention to dental our check-ups, to identify and treat issues. Most think it should be easy and not as important as general diseases which can lead to death. This is not a responsible way to consider our dental care, especially when you are older. Some of the older generation still incorrectly think who think they should be remove any teeth that cause pain or discomfort without any effort toward curative measures. Parents also need to consider their children and the role of primary teeth. They think that primary teeth have no importance. They will shed naturally so they do not need to take care of them. This leads to poor dental hygiene with children’s teeth, which can effect physical development and risk malocclusion. hiDental Clinic for Expats in Ho Chi Minh City would like to share some useful information on dental care.

In fact, the majority of us only visit a dentist when we have a tooth problem, especially the severe stages such as acute pain, tooth loss, abscesses, trauma,… which sometimes cannot be reversed. An exhausted day with busy studying or working may prevent you from taking care of your oral health also. In addition, stress and laziness will increase the risk of oral diseases. You should notice that many dental problems which are progressing, do not have any symptoms like pain or visible manifestation at the early or recoverable stages. Examples include cavities, gum disease or dangerous disease like oral cancers. So that they are very easy to be missed or ignored. Even if you take excellent care of your teeth and gums at home, you still need to see a dentist regularly. Your dentist can check for problems that you may not see or feel. Regular visits allow your dentist to find early signs of disease. Problems can be treated at a manageable stage.

Statistics from National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research show some startling data.

26% of adults 20 to 64 have untreated decay.
Adults 20 to 64 have an average of 3.28 decayed or missing permanent teeth and 13.65 decayed and missing permanent surfaces.
8.52% of adults aged 20 to 64 have periodontal disease.

This data alerts us about the importance of regular total check- up so that we have to take an account in maintaining our health.

Early detection of oral cancers or dangerous diseases:

As the general health check up, dentist will do the full examination of the entire mouth including the teeth, gingiva, mucosa, salivary glands, temporomandibular joint, masticatory system and oral hygiene habits also in order to find out any problems that need to be managed.

Early diagnosis of dental diseases can also help save your life. The National Institutes of Health report that over 30.000 Americans suffer from oral cancer each year. The dentist will help to screen your teeth and mouth regularly if there is any pre-cancer or malignant potentially lesions, even early cancer that will have to be cured promptly. Oral cancer is known to spread quickly but can be easily countered if detected early.

With regular check up the dentist will get to know the dental problems before the problems get more serious and become in-curable.

In the total check up session, you will be detected problems under the surface with X-Rays, you will be taken an X-ray film every 6 -12 months that allows dental professionals to see what is happening beneath the surfaces of your mouth, and diagnose issues that may be invisible clinically. Finding the damage of the jawbone, or tooth decay as soon as possible is critical to properly treat them. Through clinical examination and X-ray films, they will give you a total diagnosis and treatment plan. hiDental Clinic for expats in Ho Chi Minh city takes it pleasure to care your smile with its best quality.

Early detection of tooth decay:

This is the main reason to visit the dental clinic regularly. Your dentist will help you to fill the early carious cavity before they lead to more serious problems such as pulpitis or pulp necrosis. More serious problems of your teeth also are detected and treated as soon as possible to recover their functional and esthetic features so that preventing complex complications resulted by dental caries.

In pediatric dentistry, regular total check up plays an important role in protecting your children teeth thoroughly. Your children will have a good awareness of their self- care in oral health at an early age through dental visit regularly. Your dentist will help to do some preventive regimens like chair flour application to boost the resistant ability of your children’s teeth. They will identify the early carious lesions and fill them before that make your children painful or early deciduous teeth missing that results in malocclusion or overlapping teeth.

Clean teeth and hygiene instruction:

The dentist will also check for plaque and tartar on your teeth. Plaque is a clear, sticky layer of bacteria. If it’s not removed, it can harden and become tartar. You cannot remove tartar with brushing and flossing only cause there are some areas that are difficult to see and touch to clean. If plaque and tartar build up on your teeth, they can facilitate bacterial accumulation that causes oral diseases, especially caries and periodontal conditions or bad breath. Hence they will give your teeth a thorough cleaning to remove dental plaque and tartar, helping you get a good breath.

Your dentist can show you the proper way to brush and floss your teeth. A healthy set of teeth is a crucial part of enhancing your appearance.

Keeping bad habits in check:

Your dentist also helps you to figure out your bad or parafunctional habit that affects the oral health or systemic also. Some of these habits include chewing ice, biting your nails, clenching your jaw, eating sticky or hard sweets, drinking coffee and red wine, and of course smoking. Visiting the dentist allows you to fix the damage that has already been done. They also give you a clear consciousness and physical or psychological regimen to get rid of that bad habit.

Save the time and money:

Early identification of oral disease will help to decrease the risk of complex or severe interferences that takes more time and money. We will give you a very common example. If you visit dental periodically, your early caries can be detected and cured easily at one visit with a small amount of money and no pain. But when they become more severe with a big cavity even resulting in pulpitis, you will suffer more complex treatments that require many appointments and money with painful experience. The more often you visit dental periodically, the simpler and easier you get in oral health maintaining.

How often should we have a dental check up?

Awareness of regular dental check-up is very important for your teeth and their entire health also. Please set your regular 6-month visit to keeping your teeth and gums in good condition. The American Dental Association recommended seeing your dentist at least two times each year. Others might need more visits depending on the circumstances and their oral health conditions. People with a high risk of dental disease like smokers, diabetes or people with periodontal disease might need to visit every three or four months. So it’s best to seek the consultant with your dentist and schedule regular visits.