What Are the Benefits of Going to the Dentist?

Going to the dentist has many oral health benefits.

A dentist is a licensed health care professional who diagnoses and treats problems of the teeth and tissues of the mouth, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. These individuals use equipment such as X-ray machines, probes, mouth mirrors and drills to identify and remove tooth decay and can even perform corrective surgery or straighten teeth. Visiting the dentist has a wide range of benefits.

Prevention

• By visiting the dentist, you can avoid a variety of oral health problems. Although brushing your teeth with fluoride toothpaste twice daily and flossing at least once a day is helpful for removing plaque, only a licensed dental professional can remove tartar, or calculus, using special instruments. Plaque is a sticky film that sticks to the teeth and contains germs that feed on the food you eat. If not removed, this film can cause tooth decay, or a cavity, as well as gum inflammation, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Meanwhile, calculus essentially is hardened plaque located above and below the gum line.

  Calculus eventually can lead to periodontal disease, which destroys the gum and bone that support and anchor the teeth, according to HealthOfChildren.com. Visiting your dentist or dental hygienist for regular cleanings, usually every six months, can help prevent these problems. A dental team also can introduce you to a wide variety of brushes and flosses that work best for you and, additionally, help you to establish a healthy diet. Also, if you visit your dentist frequently, you will establish a strong relationship with him. This will make getting rapid treatment easier if you ever experience a dental emergency such as the knocking out of a tooth or the chipping of a tooth.

Teeth Problems

• Another benefit of going to the dentist is that she will help you with any non-traumatic tooth problems which you may be experiencing. For example, if you have a toothache and you do not know the cause, your dentist can clinically examine your mouth and take dental radiographs to help diagnose and treat your problem. You might have a dental abscess--which is a pocket of infection--around a tooth or a cavity in a tooth that the dentist can detect only using an X-ray.

  The dentist then can perform treatment, such as fill your cavity or drain the abscess and clean out the pocket around the tooth. In addition, visiting a dentist allows you to be fitted for a mouth guard if you have pain in your jaw, called temporomandibular joint syndrome. A dentist, in essence, can provide solutions to almost any oral health care problems you are having.

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