We know that the dental office probably ranks highly among places you would least like to visit on a regular basis. Which, in a sense, is ironic given that people who make a habit of coming to the dentist office at least twice a year ultimately end up spending less time getting treatment. This is because we are able to do two things on these routine visits. First, we keep the teeth clean and remove excess plaque. The removal of excess plaque helps contribute to lowered potential for cavities. Second, we examine your mouth thoroughly, which allows us to catch any budding problems and treat them before they grow into something more serious. However, there are still many people who have not heard the message that visiting your dental office will actually save you time, money, and discomfort in the long run. In a study conducted recently, researchers looked at data concerning dental visits over a 12-month span. To get an accurate assessment, they looked at the 10-year span from 2002 to 2012 and found that the overall percentage of people who visit the dentist at least once every 12 months had gone down in that time period. In 2002, 44.5 percent of people visited the dentist at least once a year. By 2012, that number had dropped to 42.1 percent. This means that fewer people are coming in for an annual checkup.
According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), there is already 27.5 percent of Americans who suffer from untreated decay and cavities. In some demographics, children between the ages of 12 and 15, for example, that number is much higher, often around 50 percent. In addition to this, there is an entire segment of the adult population, 14 percent to be precise, that believes the condition of their teeth is poor. A routine, often short, visit to the dentist office can cure many of these problems and help you stay in the best oral health possible. For the folks who have not been to a dental office in a while and need a little more prompting, here are a few additional reasons why you should consider making that appointment as soon as possible.
The mouth, in many senses, is a barometer for the rest of your body. Examining your mouth gives the staff at the dental office an insight into what is going on with your health. An example of this is that we can tell if you have a vitamin deficiency just through the process of examining your mouth. In addition to this, it has become standard practice at dental offices around the country to conduct a routine oral cancer screening when doing your bi-annual examination. This is because of a growing concern about the number of oral cancer cases. For a dentist, it makes sense to perform the screening, because it is easier for us to catch early symptoms, like lesions that may appear on the mouth or in the throat. Catching a disease like cancer gives you the best chance of fighting and curing it, making screenings an important reason to visit the dental office.
