Are Dental Implants Permanent?
Dental implants have become the gold standard for tooth restoration, but are they a permanent fixture, or will you have to replace them down the line? We have the answer for you here.
Why You Shouldn't Skip Your Professional Dental Cleanings
You’re good about brushing twice a day and flossing once a day, so you don’t need to squeeze an appointment for a dental visit into your busy calendar, right?
Wrong.
Your semi-annual professional dental visits are essential to maintaining good oral health. And the better you are at keeping these appointments, the better your oral health will be.
At Hometown Family Dental Centers, our expert dental professionals provide semi-annual cleanings, cavity repair, cosmetic dentistry services, and much more for our patients of all ages.
Here, we weigh in on the importance of those semi-annual visits.
The problem of dental problems
Adults can develop oral health problems at any point in their lives, including cavities, gum disease, tooth loss, and oral cancer. More than 40% of adults say they’ve felt pain in their mouth within the past year, and more than 80% of people will have developed at least one cavity by age 34.
People with chronic diseases, including arthritis, diabetes, and heart disease, show an increased risk of losing teeth and having poor oral health.
In addition, oral health problems increase with age for a variety of reasons. Older adults may have problems with saliva production, receding gums, and difficulties flossing and brushing due to diminished vision, cognitive issues, and physical limitations such as deformed hands from arthritis.
These can all lead to tooth loss.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1 in 10 adults (11%) aged 65-74 had lost all their teeth, and about 1 in 5 adults (20%) 75 years or older had lost all their teeth.
Unfortunately, tooth loss can lead to a poor diet, low self-esteem, difficulty talking, and an overall lowered quality of life.
However, tooth loss is largely preventable. You can avoid tooth loss with good oral hygiene, self-care, and professional dental care.
The importance of professional dental cleanings
Regular, semi-annual dental cleanings are essential to preserve the health of your teeth and gums. Making and keeping these appointments is vital to ensure good oral health.
During a professional dental cleaning, we carefully examine your teeth and gums. We might also take X-rays or other types of imaging to check your teeth for signs of decay that aren’t yet visible to the naked eye.
Next, our dental hygienist thoroughly cleans your teeth, removing plaque and tartar, even below the gumline, as well as most surface stains. Then, we polish your teeth and apply fluoride or sealants as a preventative treatment. If you use any dental appliances, such as a bridge or denture, the hygienist may also examine them to ensure they’re in good shape.
After cleaning your teeth, we examine your bite and check your ability to move your jaw correctly, chew, and swallow. We also perform an oral cancer examination and screening.
These regular screenings allow us to review your medical history and ensure you’re not at risk for serious oral health problems without realizing it.
We can easily fix most dental problems if we diagnose them early—even before you show symptoms. Delaying treatment allows any issues you may have to get much worse.
Letting problems worsen may require more invasive procedures, including dental surgery. In addition, some dental problems, such as oral infections, can spread through the bloodstream to other parts of the body and can be life-threatening if left untreated.
But by keeping up with your professional cleanings, you can stay ahead of the problems and prevent minor issues from turning into major problems.
If you haven’t had a professional dental exam within the last six months, call Hometown Family Dental Centers in Fayetteville, Raeford, or Vass, North Carolina, to schedule your next cleaning.
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