A key focus of my blog is Health/Wellness. Dental health is often thought to be the gateway to the health of the rest of the body. As an adult, you must continue to be vigilant about your dental health . The following contributed post is entitled, How Often Should You See A Dentist As An Adult?
* * *
Woman having dental checkup – Image Courtesy of Pexels
You should see a dentist as an adult as much as your personal situation calls for. Of course, this can differ for everyone. However, there are many reasons and aspects to adult dental treatment.
Common Dental Problems
About half of adults have gum disease. About 20% of these people have very bad gum disease. You’ll lose your teeth if you don’t treat cavities and gum disease. Most of the cases are caused by tooth decay, oral cancer, and dental injuries. Tooth erosion, gum infections, and gums that pull away from the teeth are also very serious dental problems. These problems can cause a lot of pain and discomfort, but your dentist can help. And they might make it hard for you to eat.
Why You Get Oral Issues
Oral diseases are caused by a number of risk factors that can be changed. These include eating too much sugar, smoking, drinking too much alcohol, and not taking care of your teeth and gums. Most of the time, bacteria are kept in check by the body’s natural defenses and good oral health care, like brushing and flossing every day. But if you don’t take care of your teeth and gums properly, bacteria can grow to levels that could cause tooth decay and gum disease.
See a Dentist as an Adult Once Per Year
Most dentists will tell you to come in about once every six months for a routine cleaning and exam if they are still getting treatment. But in general, the less likely you are to have problems with your teeth, the longer you can go between check-ups. But people who have more problems will need to go to the dentist more often. You can cut this down to once a year with good care. And for every two years if you have excellent oral healthcare with and practice good hygiene.
Ongoing Treatments You Can Try
Taking care of your teeth and mouth is something you have to do for the rest of your life. You can get specialist care and pay for cosmetic dentistry if you go to a private dental office. The goal of cosmetic dentistry is to prevent and, if necessary, fix things that don’t look good. Most of the time, these are discolored teeth, crowded teeth, and the visible signs of gum disease and recession. However, it would help if you still took care of your teeth as well as you can at home.
Effectively Brushing Your Teeth
People sometimes clean their teeth in the wrong way. For example, some people don’t spend enough time brushing. And others take too long to brush. To properly brush your teeth, move the brush gently back and forth in short strokes. You should brush the outside, the inside, and the chewing surfaces of your teeth. Try to brush for around two minutes, and don’t push too hard, either. New electric brushes from Oral-B let you know when you are using too much force.
Summary
With good oral health, you should see a dentist once per year. However, issues like gum disease can mean more appointments. Or excellent oral health could mean less dentist visits.
