If You Have Not Been To The Dentist In Years

Dental health is an extremely important component of your overall health. We often see patients who haven’t been to the dentist in a long time.

Many people are fearful when it comes to visiting the dentist but for some, the trepidation is so intense that they avoid going to the dentist for years.

Although we recommend a visit every 6 months, some people allow those months to turn into years and sometimes even decades.

We find people avoid the dentist for several different reasons.

This fear may stem from a number of sources, such as a bad childhood experience with a less compassionate dentist or a painful past procedure.

And then there are some people who simply have a phobia of the dentist without any negative experience to back it up.

When you haven’t been to the dentist in a while, it’s hard to know where to even start.

But knowing what to expect during your initial visit may help allay those fears, giving you the courage you need to make an appointment.

Studies have shown that oral health is closely connected to the overall state of your health, which makes regular dental appointments imperative to maintaining a healthy body.

Complications from dental diseases can affect total body health. For instance, there is a correlation between guml disease and heart disease. Inflammation in the mouth triggers inflammation in the body, which drives heart attacks and strokes.

As you can see, the entire body’s health system is interconnected. This means that good oral health is important for good bodily health and it also means that a trip to the dentist might reveal health issues like diabetes or cancer in the early stages.

The earlier we can identify an issue, the easier it will be to treat it and prevent it from becoming a major one.

Regular maintenance and coming in for checkups is required for keeping your smile healthy and bright. Dental clinics in India make sure you are getting regular cleaning sessions and checkups as part of a healthy lifestyle.

And, even if it has already been a few years, coming in now can mean a big difference for your mouth!

If you haven’t been to the dentist, here is what you might expect at your appointment:

The Teeth Cleaning

If you haven’t been to the dentist, then this appointment will inevitably include a teeth cleaning.

The cleaning is important because plaque and calculus build up over time and can cause tooth decay and gum disease.

Plaque/calculus has had plenty of time adhere to your teeth and build up there even if you have been brushing and flossing religiously in the time since your last appointment.

Calculus is problematic because it cannot be removed at home and you need to visit the dentist for professional cleaning.

You might experience some slight discomfort as the plaque is removed and sometimes gums may bleed a little as well. This is a completely normal physical reaction and nothing to be worried about.

As plaque and tartar build up, they can also go below the gumline and can cause the gum to start pulling away from the teeth, causing pockets that are susceptible to bacteria.

In order to fix this issue, your dentist may schedule you for what they call deep cleanings, which, as the name suggests, is a more in depth and extensive version of the cleaning you just received.

This will pay off in the long run by preventing bigger, more time consuming and expensive problems from developing.

Dentists in India aim to ensure your teeth and gums are clean and healthy, and check for problems that may otherwise go unnoticed and could be a sign of larger health issues.

X-Rays

These are crucial, as the dentist can’t make a full assessment of your oral health without knowing what’s going on under the gumline.

Your dentist will want to take X-rays of your teeth to make sure that no serious problems have developed in the time since your last appointment.

From the X-rays, your dentist will be able to assess your oral health and then provide any necessary treatment recommendations from there.

Unlike older x-rays, results are now available instantaneously, making the process much more efficient. They are also far less radiation due to digital x-ray technology replacing film x-ray.

Cavity check

Next your dentist will look for cavities and check your mouth for signs of oral cancer and gum recession.

Realistically, if you have not had a visit in years, you probably have acquired at least one cavity during that time period.

So, don’t be surprised or disappointed if you need a filling or two. Most adults develop at least one cavity in their permanent teeth during their lifetimes.

Hopefully, after you’ve been through your first appointment back in a while and found that it was not as scary as you had thought, you will feel much better about your smile!

Now is the perfect time to get back on track with regularly scheduled exams and cleanings, so please be sure to make and keep an appointment for another checkup in 6 months.

We understand that visiting the dentist every six months can be hard on your schedule.

You may feel as though life gets in the way of your oral health, but if the proper preventative measures aren’t taken, your oral health may start getting in the way of your life.

Dentistry is not what it used to be! Advancements have made going to the dentist a much easier, a lot less painful and less invasive than it used to be.

Dental technology has come a long way resulting in a far more comfortable patient experience and there are new ways to improve the health of your smile easily, with no fear.

With better techniques and technology treatments that used to feel awkward or painful are likely to prove less invasive now.

Dentistry as a practice is constantly evolving to improve patient comfort and ease of procedures.

Furthermore, if there is anything that you believe will make your visit a little more comfortable, you can always let your dentist know.

Dentists in Delhi make sure if anything causes excessive discomfort to any patient, they try to adjust their approach or give you a break until you feel better.

Dental clinics in Delhi like ‘Smile Delhi- The Dental Clinic’ stresses to ensure a healthy smile and a healthy body and co-develop a customized plan of treatment that meets your needs and allows you to achieve a beautiful smile at a comfortable pace.

We do this because we really care about our patients and treat each person as a member of our own family by giving personal attention.

Although we understand that it can sometimes be difficult to come in regularly but please do try to come for any follow-up appointments your dentist has scheduled and try hard to make it to the chair at least twice a year.

Regular dental appointments help catch small problems before they turn into big, expensive and complicated problems, so it really is worth your while to come in regularly.

 

 

Posted by- Dr Shriya