If you’ve ever visited our blog at Marcos Ortega DDS, you’ve probably heard the counsel to have dental visits and cleanings twice a year. Dental professionals have been advising the twice-yearly frequency for over 50 years. The American Dental Association counsels individuals to visit their dentist twice a year as well.
Is that an arbitrary schedule? Let’s discuss the reasons why regular dental visits and cleanings in the San Diego area are an essential part of preventative dentistry and optimum oral health.
What do your dentist and dental hygienist do during an exam and cleaning?
Look for Signs of Decay
Your dentist has tools that allow him/her to see places in your mouth that would be hardly possible for you to see. While a cavity usually takes over six months to become serious, your dentist can see the telltale white spots that reveal that a cavity is forming. In the earliest stages, your dentist can stop the development of a cavity. If a cavity drills into your teeth without you knowing it, it will eventually hit the pulp–Ouch!–and you may need a root canal and a crown. As you might imagine, both are far more expensive than an exam and cleaning. Besides, your dental insurance may cover twice-yearly exams and cleanings at 100%.
Clean Out Your Pockets
If you think dental care is unnecessarily costly, you might not like this joke. We aren’t talking about your wallet here. We are talking about the gap that forms between your gums and tooth roots when bacteria and plaque build up. It’s not only extreme cavities that can damage a tooth until it is beyond saving. Gum disease that leads to bone loss is just as detrimental. A buildup of plaque creates pockets of infection between the gums and tooth roots. This leads to periodontitis, gum recession, and eventual bone loss. A professional cleaning cleanses away the plaque before it can cause the gums to recede.
Check for Oral Cancer
The Oral Cancer Foundation reports this grave stat: oral cancer claims one life every hour—that’s 48,250 deaths a year.1
Oral Health is Physical Health
Your mouth is connected to the rest of the body, but many people treat it as a separate entity. Some get regular preventative services for physical conditions but miss their oral health.
At Marcos Ortega DDS, we’ve often wondered about this frequent disconnect. Did you know that there is compelling evidence to suggest that the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes increases with poor oral health? Besides, your lifestyle is significantly impacted when you have tooth pain, tooth loss, gum disease, or dentures.
Even if you don’t have dental insurance, cleanings, and exams are one of the most cost-effective ways to maintain ideal oral health.
Call 619-295-4545 today to schedule a dental exam and cleaning at Marcos Ortega DDS in San Diego.
1http://oralcancerfoundation.org/facts/
Contact Marcos Ortega DDS:
619-295-4545
Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):
306 Walnut Ave Ste 25
San Diego, California
92103