Maintaining good oral hygiene is vital for preserving your dental health. Regular brushing, flossing and keeping up routine dentist appointments can significantly lower the risk for dental diseases and complications that may occur later on in life.
Making regular visits to your dentist improves overall dental health, as well as allows your dentist to screen for diseases in their early stages, and prevent them from developing further. During a standard oral hygiene/cleaning session, a dental hygienist will systematically remove plaque from your teeth (scaling), before cleaning and polishing your teeth with fluoride in order to make them resistant to cavities and bacterial invasion. Panoramic and digital x-rays may also be taken to provide a clearer picture of your mouth, and to reveal any hidden abnormalities.
A thorough oral examination of your mouth allows a dentist to accurately assess your dental health and see what needs to be immediately treated or corrected. Oral examinations and screens allow dentists to catch life-threatening dental conditions such as oral cancer in its early stages, and apply the necessary treatments to prevent the cancer from worsening.
Oral cancer is the abnormal growth of cells in various parts of the mouth, and is a particularly deadly cancer because it is difficult to detect in its early stages. It is routine for dentists to perform a thorough visual examination of your mouth for evidence of cancerous growth such as lumps, lesions or sores.
Routine dental appointments allow dentists to keep updated on your dental health, as well as allow them to plan treatments ahead of time if they catch any abnormalities that may develop into life-threatening diseases. Consequently, routine dental checkups and oral hygiene sessions are the best preventative measures against the various conditions that may undermine your dental health in the future. Early detection makes early prevention possible; don’t hesitate to contact us today to book an appointment.