Whilst many people will happily and willingly make regular appointments for medical check-ups with their doctor, nutritionist, or physiotherapist, for example, when it comes to making an appointment for a check-up at their dentist, they invariably find an excuse to avoid it.
There are many reasons for this phenomenon, such as a genuine fear of the dentist, or that they feel guilty that they have not been following effective dental care and know that their teeth and gums are not in the best condition. Whatever the reason, the problem with not having a regular check-up is that any issues that might have been resolved by your dentist easily and quickly, could now be far more serious.
Any fear one might have of Dentist Perth, be it the noise of the drill, or the sensation of it as it cleans and polishes your teeth, will be of nothing to the length of time you might have to spend with your mouth open whilst you dentist tries to put right all the issues that have built up over time.
This speaks to the other point we made about feeling guilty and possibly fearing the ‘wrath’ of your dentist. Now, whilst your dentist might not be happy that you are failing to care for your teeth properly, their job is to help fix them and advise you on how to care for them properly. They will not fine you, nor, presuming they are a professional dentist, shout at you, no matter how much they might feel they want to in cases where someone has simply ignored all dental care advice.
What makes this all so tragic is that with a regular check-up your dentist can spot any issues that might be in their infancy and help you to take action within your dental care regime that will prevent them from getting any worse. Similarly, either at your check-up or at an appointment soon after, your dentist will be able to carry out any treatment or remedial work to reverse or repair any of the issues that you have with your gums or your teeth.
Some examples of when it is even more important that your dentist carries out treatment or remedial work when they spot an issue at a check-up are
Bleeding Gums
Loose Teeth
Cavities
Gum Disease
Reddened Gums
Badly Stained Teeth
Signs Of Infection
Missing Fillings
As a result of, or in addition to, any of the above, if you are suffering from pain, which is most likely to be a toothache, then it is important that you let your dentist know as it will help them further in diagnosing what dental treatment is the most appropriate.
Something which is very important to realise about dental check-ups is that what your dentist can see with respect to your oral health can also help to indicate the presence of other health issues. Your oral health is a prime indicator of your overall health, and if it is not good then your dentist may advise you to visit your doctor for full health check.
In particular, the following medical conditions can be flagged up when your dentist is checking your oral health:
Heart Disease
Diabetes
Pancreatic Cancer
Leukemia
Oral cancer
Kidney disease
Anaemia
Osteoporosis
Some of the symptoms which will alert them are excessively dry mouth, bad breath, mouth ulcers, jaw pain, swollen gums, and bleeding gums, plus, if they take any x-rays as part of your check-up, these can also highlight other health issues.
