Generally, most people need to see a dentist in Oshawa every six months for checkups and hygiene appointments. However, there is a temptation to skip these visits if you think your teeth seem fine, but there are some very good reasons for seeing your dentist regularly. Your six-monthly visits are about more than just your oral health, as they can help to protect your general health too.
Far from being separate, the health of your mouth can affect overall health, and it is most likely that your dentist is the only health professional who regularly examines the inside of your mouth. While our dentist will carefully check the condition of each tooth, making sure there are no visible signs of cavities or damage to your teeth, they also check your gum health.
Why Gum Health Is Important
Having healthy gums is particularly important, ensuring your teeth remain firmly in their sockets and protecting your general health. When you have strong, healthy gums, they fit nicely around your teeth, creating a seal that prevents harmful bacteria naturally present in your mouth from entering your body. In comparison, unhealthy gums become infected with these bacteria, a condition that creates inflammation as your body tries to fight the infection, called periodontal disease or gum disease.
Periodontal disease is most often caused by poor oral care that allows these harmful bacteria in dental plaque to build up over your teeth and gums instead of removing this substance regularly by brushing and flossing. Consequently, gums begin to bleed easily and start to pull away from your teeth. This allows bacteria to enter your body via your bloodstream, granting them free passage around your body. Periodontal disease has been associated with other serious health problems, including diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and dementia.
The good news is that periodontal disease is easily treatable and reversible when caught and treated early. If you have early signs of gum disease in Whitby, a condition called gingivitis, we can provide appropriate treatment, which combined with better oral care at home will help reverse the disease. It is important to see a dentist regularly to check for gingivitis as the early signs are often overlooked.
Checking Your Oral Tissues
When you see a dentist, they do more than just check your teeth and gums, carrying out regular oral cancer screenings, a quick and entirely painless and non-invasive procedure. Here at Margolian Dentistry, our dentist will carefully examine the inside of your mouth. They check tissues that include the roof and floor of your mouth, your tongue, inside your cheeks and lips.
We always believe in using the best and most advanced technologies at our dental practice, so we can use a small handheld device called a VELscope. It emits a special blue light that is completely harmless but causes tissues of concern to fluoresce slightly differently compared with healthy tissues, detecting cancerous and precancerous conditions and signs of bacterial, fungal or viral infections. We also check for any changes to the colour and texture of your tissues, looking for signs of any rough areas or lumps that might need further investigation. By regularly screening you for oral cancer, we can detect any small changes more easily. When caught early, oral cancer is far more treatable using less invasive procedures.
Your regular dental checkup in Ajax is also your chance to ask us any questions you may have about your oral health. We love chatting with patients, and education is an important part of our practice.
