Before we see why it is important to visit your dentist twice a year, let us ascertain the reasons why we need to see the dentist at all.
As we know our teeth are one of the essential tools that keep us alive by letting us take in nutrition which is vital to not only stay alive, but to stay fit as well. Unlike animals in the wild, which become weak and may die if they break their teeth accidentally (because if they cannot bite, or chew, they can’t eat and thus starve), we humans have access to dental care so that our most important tools can be kept in up to date condition.
It is imperative that we see out dentist at regular intervals and go through dental checkups to keep out teeth clean and our gums disease free for us to enjoy our food without difficulty, because we know how our dental health issues get out of hand and impact our normal schedules adversely.
What is dental check up?
Dental check up is a practice where during your dental visit your dentist will carry out a routine which will determine that your teeth have no plaque (a thin colourless film of bacteria on the teeth), no tartar (a hardened layer of plaque), no cavities (caused by bacteria at the root of your teeth).
To help your dentist identify problems, like if there is any kind of ache or pain, decay etc., he may require x rays of your teeth. X rays will enable him to ascertain if there are any cavities or other gum diseases.
It is part of the routine dental check up to make sure that there are no infections in the gums and surrounding tissues. To check on gum diseases, the dentist needs to use special tools to measure the space between the gums and teeth. The space has to be shallow in healthy disease free gums. With infections in the gums, the space may become deeper.
Another aspect of dental visit is to get your teeth clean professionally. It is imperative to get the cleaning of teeth done from time to time depending on your personal dental hygiene, as there are areas and procedures which is best done by dentists.
The dentist also will check your tongue to see if it has nice healthy pink colour and no blemishes which indicates signs of cancer.
All these procedures are needed at least twice a year to keep your mouth healthy and clean.
It is obvious that teeth need more care than just brushing. Depending on the oral health routine followed by you, the dental check up visits to your dentist may vary from every three months to once a once or twice a year.
Plaque is sticky bacterial film that constantly forms on our teeth. When we consume food, this bacterial film quickly feeds on sugars and starches in our foods and produce acids. The acids break away the enamel, a protective cover on our teeth leading to decay.
Accumulated plaque can lead to gingivitis a gum disease, characterised by swelling and tenderness in gums, which sometimes bleed. If not treated in time, it leads to periodontal diseases, like damage the supporting bone lying underneath the jaw.
When you visit the dentist in 6 months, he can nip the problem in the bud, preventing plaque from creating more damage.
Tartar is a crust like substance formed on the teeth of people with poor dental hygiene routine. It discolours the teeth and makes it difficult to remove new plaque and bacteria forming every day. Some people are more susceptible than others in forming of tartar on their teeth.
Tartar is a dental calculus formed on the teeth by combination of plaque and minerals in the saliva. When plaque is not removed daily with brushing, or when it is not removed completely, it turns into tartar, making brushing away the plaque all the more difficult, creating a vicious circle.
Tartar has to be removed with tools by dental health professionals in their clinic. When you visit your dentist after 6 months, he can check on the build of tartar and remove it before it becomes a serious problem leading to cavities and gum diseases.
When plaque and tartar get their way through enamel and the bacteria in the mouth reaches at the root of the tooth, they damage the gum and create abscess which is a pocket of pus. It can occur in different parts of the tooth for different reasons. When the abscess occurs at the root of the tooth it is called per apical. When the abscess occurs at the gums, it is called periodontal. These abscesses takes place because of untreated dental cavities or injuries to teeth.
When you visit the dentist in 6 months time, the dentist can check on in the mouth and spot the abscess. He can identify the problem and the reason behind it and prevent it from causing further damage.
Visiting the dentist twice a year gives the dentist a clear headway in identifying problems which you may not see even with regular brushing. The regular visits help dentists recognise the early signs of the disease and take care of it. A problem detected early gets treated early and with fewer struggles than treating the same thing after it has gone too far, and caused a lot of pain.
Taking dental care seriously is relatively not very old system. The usual dental practice consisted of treating the dental problems rather than preventing them. Around 1950s, the dental care professionals started realizing, that preventing problems of teeth is better than treating them. That is when they decided to have a general guideline for people to follow for prevention rather than cure.
In 50s, the fresh recruits were sent for routine dental check up, and it was discovered that most of the dental problems could have been prevented and a lot of resources in money, time and effort could have been saved if people somehow were able to prevent these problems. That is when the dental professionals took a stand to have people go for dental check up twice a year rather than go the dentist when trouble already set in.