Once we become adults, we are less likely to make regular visits to the dentist’s office. After all, childhood memories of dental visits are generally not pleasant. Can you imagine an 11-year-old leaving the dentist’s office thinking wow, that was fun, and I cannot wait to go back! For too many people, adult oral hygiene includes daily teeth brushing, at best.
However, seeing a dentist twice a year should be a mandatory requirement in your adult years. Twice a year dental visits are just as important as changing the oil in your car. Your mouth is the same as the car in the above analogy. If you do not regularly see the dentist to have check-ups and your teeth cleaned, you are risking developing serious teeth, gum and jawbone problems. An ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure. What this saying means is that prevention is amazingly easier than fixing the problem that developed due to lack of prevention.
There are numerous reasons to see a dentist twice a year. The most important reason to make an appointment twice a year with your dentist is to have your teeth professionally cleaned. Dental plaque forms naturally on your teeth. Dental plaque is a very thin layer of bacteria that continues to grow. Dental plaque has a yellow appearance and can make a great set of teeth look poorly.
Plaque is harmful to a couple of reasons. Plaque generates and emits an acid that can cause enamel problems on adjacent teeth. In other words, plaque can cause your teeth to rot. Not only can plaque rot your teeth, but it can also initiate a gradual degrading of your gums, which can lead to the major gum diseases, gingivitis, periodontal disease and trench mouth. Plaque can also become so built up that it creates tartar, which is simply a large amount of plaque that has joined to form a hard mineral that cannot be removed with a toothbrush. Tartar can also lead to gum disease but in a more rapid manner compare to a plaque.
There are toothpastes specially formed to remove plaque when you are brushing your teeth. There are also ‘tartar control’ toothpaste as well. While twice daily brushing using these specialized toothpastes is a great routine, it will not prevent plaque from growing on your teeth totally. This is why having your teeth cleaned twice a year at a dentist is so important.
Dental offices have the proper tools to clean your teeth professionally. Additionally, the dental hygienists, who will actually clean your teeth, have extensive training using the latest equipment. Cleaning teeth, in part, is what dental hygienists does for a living. Thus they are highly experienced. If it was a while ago when your teeth were cleaned professionally, make an appointment with a dentist today.