Top 4 Reasons To Visit Your Dentist Regularly

If it’s been a while since you had your last dental cleaning, you may have been thinking about booking an appointment with a Gainesville dentist. While visiting the dentist might seem like an additional expense that can be hard to fit into your busy schedule, regular visits are essential to keeping your gums and teeth in good shape. If you’re not sure whether you need to make an appointment soon, consider these four important reasons you should pay your dentist a visit.

Visit Your Dentist Regularly

1. Dentists Can Diagnose Oral Cancer

Perhaps one of the most serious reasons to go to the dentist, oral cancer needs to be detected and diagnosed by trained professionals to get treated as quickly as possible. Oral cancer often progresses quickly and can become dangerous, so catching it early on gives you the best possible chance at fighting it off. Dentists are trained to find abnormalities and identify symptoms, so regular visits can help ensure that all is well. Since it’s been estimated that some 30,000 Americans are diagnosed with oral cancer yearly, even just twice-a-year visits can help you identify potential signs.

2. It Helps Prevent Periodontal Disease

If you neglect your oral health on a regular basis, you may be at risk of periodontal disease, or infections of the tissues surrounding your teeth. One common form of this disease is gingivitis, which is limited to your gums and usually mild. However, if left untreated, gingivitis can lead to the more serious disease periodontitis. Symptoms include bleeding gums, separating teeth and constant bad breath. If you’ve experienced any of these symptoms, consider booking an appointment right away.

3. You Can Get Cosmetic Procedures

Keeping your teeth and gums healthy is important, but if you want to work on pure aesthetics, you can improve their appearance through cosmetic procedures that dentists are licensed to carry out. For instance, you can often get professional teeth whitening or shaping at a dentist’s office. As a bonus, even just frequent cleanings can remove plaque and build-up that could have been making your teeth look dull and worsening their appearance. Beyond regular check-ups, visiting the dentists lets you get a professional consultation on what could best help you achieve the results you’re looking for.

4. It Helps Foster Good Habits

Finally, dentists can help you learn how to better take care of your teeth and keep them healthy yourself. From learning proper flossing and rushing techniques to getting advice on kicking bad habits like smoking, eating too much sugar or biting your nails, dentists can provide invaluable assistance. Over time, you’ll learn how you can help yourself get your oral health in the best shape possible.

Teeth and gums are essential to speaking, eating and much more, so keeping them healthy and catching any potential problems early on is essential. To make sure your dental health is in top shape, visiting your dentist regularly is key. Keep these four important reasons in mind and you can decide whether you need to book an appointment soon.