The Top Benefits of Regular General Dentistry Visits

Updated: Aug 8
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The vast majority of people do not visit the dentist for general dentistry visits. Instead, they wait until they are suffering from pain to seek out dental care. For many reasons, this is a bad idea. Many issues can be prevented with regular visits and proper dental hygiene.

What benefits can you expect from regular general dentistry visits? Let’s take a closer look.

Find Potential Problems Early

Small problems become big problems and you may not notice that something is wrong with your teeth or gums until it’s already a serious issue. By the time you have an excruciating toothache or your gums are abscessed, the problem is already quite serious. It takes a lot to treat the issue and you could end up losing your tooth due to advanced decay or disease.

When you visit a dentist, they will check your mouth for potential problem areas. This means they usually notice the start of a cavity long before it eats through the enamel. They will check for gum disease and can help you treat it immediately, instead of letting it destroy your teeth and gums.

There are many oral issues that can be resolved rather easily when they’re found early on. However, if you wait until you notice them or are dealing with pain and other symptoms, the entire process is much more difficult and expensive.

Learn Correct Dental Hygiene

If you’ve been brushing your teeth the same way since you were a child, you may be missing some important dental hygiene steps. A visit to the dentist not only identifies possible problem areas but can also show you where your hygiene routine is failing.

The dentist will show you the correct way to brush and floss, which can help ensure fewer cavities and problems in the future. Regular visits will help keep you on track and ensure you’re actually brushing and flossing the right way.

Eliminate Bad Breath

Do you suffer from chronic bad breath or halitosis? There are a number of potential causes, but some of them are dental-related and can be helped by a dentist. In some cases, you may have a medical condition that can be treated by a doctor, but in other cases, it could be a decaying tooth, gum disease, or another issue that your dentist can help you with.

Sometimes, halitosis is caused by poor oral hygiene, which can be picked up by the dentist or a dental hygienist. They will help you determine the cause of the problem and find a solution that works for you.

Improve Your Smile

A good smile is something that benefits everyone. If you find yourself anxious about showing your teeth because your teeth are yellowed or crooked, a visit to the dentist could be just what you need. Regular visits ensure your teeth look their best, even if all you need is a little time with the dental hygienist.

Not only does a nice smile make people smile back at you, but it can also improve your self-esteem. You can enjoy a beautiful smile and feel better about yourself, so why wouldn’t you see a dentist on a regular basis?

Provide a Good Example

If you have children, you want to ensure they have the best care possible. This means family dental care is very important and part of raising children to look after themselves. You should provide a good example of dental hygiene, by properly caring for your teeth, but also going to the dentist.

Children learn from their parents and if you are afraid to visit the dentist or feel that your dental health is not important, this will pass on to your children. It’s best to get them to see a dental hygienist from an early age so they can become used to having their mouth examined and their teeth cleaned. When they become used to this early on, they will have fewer issues with seeing a dentist later in life, which sets them up for proper oral care in the future.

Prevent Tooth Loss

While dentists can do a lot to save a tooth, they can’t bring back a tooth that has already decayed beyond a certain point. Unfortunately, too many people wait until they have reached the point of no return and the tooth must be pulled. Since you need your teeth for everything from chewing to speaking, it’s best to avoid losing them.

Tooth decay can often be treated early or even prevented in the first place. Even seeing a dental hygienist for a cleaning on a regular basis can pick up some issues that will need to be checked by the dentist.

Possible issues that may arise from losing teeth include:

Dry socket - This is when the blood clot formed over the tooth socket is disturbed. It can be quite painful and will need further treatment.

Poor bite - If you have lost more than one tooth, it may become difficult to bite or chew correctly. This is frustrating and can affect your eating habits.

Bite collapse - This occurs when several back teeth are pulled over time. The lower jaw ends up rotating close to the upper jaw, which changes the muscle load and can cause some serious problems due to poor alignment.

Changes in speech - Depending on the tooth removed, it could affect your speech. This is particularly true of front teeth.

Shifting teeth - When you have a tooth removed, your other teeth may shift in position. They begin to close the space where the tooth once was, which can affect the possibility of replacing the tooth in the future and may misalign your remaining teeth.

Considering that it is quite simple to find the issues before you need to have the tooth pulled, it makes sense to visit the dentist frequently.

Reduce Stress

If you find yourself worrying about your teeth, it’s definitely time to see the dentist. There’s no reason to stress yourself out over a dental visit or over issues in your mouth when you can seek help.

For people who suffer from a fear of dentists, the thought of seeing one regularly can be terrifying. However, regular visits can actually help with your fear. Instead of seeing the dentist only when you need major work done on your mouth, you can see them for a check-up, receive tips and cleaning and see that there isn’t anything to fear.

Regular general dentistry visits can help desensitise you to the fear of seeing a dentist. It’s also helpful to eliminate any worries you have about your mouth since you can talk to the dentist and determine which problems are actually problems and then take steps to fix them.

Identify Related Problems

You may not associate a headache with a dental problem, but in some cases, seemingly unrelated issues are actually caused by dental problems. These can be checked by a dentist at your general dentistry visit and they may be able to help you prevent things like headaches caused by clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth in your sleep.

Dentists are not only focused on teeth. Throughout their training, they learn about human anatomy, including the jaw and all the structures in the mouth and head. This means they can frequently identify problems and diseases that have nothing to do with your teeth. Your dentist may not be able to treat a specific problem that is not directly related to the mouth, but they can identify it for you and help you determine what is happening in your body.

Even if your dentist can’t fix the problem, they may have a suggestion as to where you can seek help.

How Often Should You See Your Dentist?

A general dentistry visit should be scheduled every six months. While some people see their dentist once a year, it takes around six months for a cavity to develop, so a quick visit twice a year will allow decay to be noticed early on. You can easily resolve the problem before you need to suffer any side effects.

Even if you don’t have any particular problem with your teeth, a dental cleaning every six months will help keep your smile looking great. If you have issues with gum disease or are at high risk for it due to diabetes or another health condition, you’ll want to schedule more frequent cleanings with a dental hygienist.

Regular dental appointments are an essential part of maintaining your health, oral and otherwise. When your mouth has problems, it can rapidly spread to other areas of the body.

Take control of your dental health today. Book your appointment with Dr Rez now and ensure your smile stays bright.