Before you call and postpone or cancel your next dental appointment, it is important to understand the reasons behind why making dental visits should be a top priority.

During your regular dental visits, your mouth is thoroughly examined and cleaned. The examination looks for any signs of dental decay, periodontal disease, and oral cancer. It also looks for signs of other health issues because many diseases first present themselves inside the mouth, a place that goes unnoticed by many until a dental visit. Your teeth are cleaned to remove plaque buildup and tartar that develops on the teeth between dental visits. Plaque is made up of millions of bacteria that wreak havoc on the mouth by eating away at the tooth enamel and infecting the gums. If plaque is not removed on a regular basis, it will grow and fester and cause serious oral health concerns.

Your oral health is directly linked to the health of your entire body. There are numerous studies that report that gum disease and tooth decay have direct links to extremely serious health conditions such as heart disease, kidney failure, diabetes, miscarriage, preterm labor, and low birth weight babies. The mouth is made up of living tissues, and any infection or decay can easily pass into the blood stream and cause a whole host of health issues. By making regular dental visits a priority, you are helping to ensure that your general health is also well maintained. Your dentist and dental hygienist understand the links in your health and know what to look for as signs of trouble in your mouth. By being proactive about your oral health, you are also being proactive about your general health.

At Gold Hill Dentistry, we want to partner with you in your oral health. We understand that taking an hour out of your busy schedule twice a year can be difficult, but those two collective hours can save you a great deal of time, expense, and can even save your life. We encourage you to make regular dental visits a priority for you and your family in order to achieve and maintain optimal oral – and general – health.