Sitting on the dental chair can be stressful, especially if you fear buzzing drills or sharp tools. You could even miss a dental visit due to a busy lifestyle. Skipping these dental checkups repeatedly could mean a trip to the emergency room, unfortunately.
Unless you aren’t anxious or free, cost is another reason to skip a dental appointment. Around 1 in 3 Australians delays seeing a dental professional due to cost yearly. That’s roughly 9 million individuals skipping dental visits!
While your daily oral routines may seem enough, they are not. Dental checkups provide extensive oral care when typical brushing and flossing are insufficient. Without it, you might develop poor oral health, compromising your eating, breathing, speaking or socialising.
Neglecting your dental checkups means ignoring essential oral care. Read on to learn more about the potential consequences of skipping and frequenting checkups.
Why Routine Dental Checkups Are Important
Natural teeth are made to last permanently. However, their enamel wears off due to daily mechanical and chemical exposure, further deteriorating teeth and surrounding oral parts.
Dental checkups are essential to prevent oral issues. They include a complete examination of your teeth, gums, tongue, lips, mouth, and even saliva. According to a Medibank report, about 30% of Australians experience at least one dental or oral issue.
Routine checkups can detect these dental issues early. Frequent visits allow your dentist to identify small issues like inflammation, cavities, or plaque before these worsen. Dental professionals may also check habits and lifestyles that contribute to oral problems.
These early dental interventions require less invasive treatments. It means safer, swift, and low-risk procedures, allowing you to save time and money in attaining pristine oral condition.
The Consequences of Skipping Dental Checkups
Even if you’re born with exceptionally tough enamel, teeth can still deteriorate due to various reasons. It can wear off due to poor oral routine, diet, lifestyle, or existing conditions. When this happens, skipping dental checkups could lead to:
Untreated Cavities
On average, Australian adults have about 4-10 teeth affected by dental caries. When left untreated, caries can turn into decay, which occurs when bacterial damage penetrates deeper into the tooth, reaching soft, living tissues.
Why are dental checkups important? Cavities can expose the inner tooth material, which contains blood vessels and nerves, to bacteria or acid. This can potentially lead to severe toothaches or infections that require invasive treatments like root canal therapy.
To treat this, your dentist must remove the infected area and clean the root canal. Then it will be filled with dental material to seal from external factors and avoid further complications.
Gum Disease
Skipping dental checkups increases your chance of developing gum disease. Among Australians, about 3 in every 10 adults encounter severe gum disease. This stems from poor brushing or flossing habits, resulting in plaque buildup which penetrates your gum layers.
Patients with this condition are very likely to experience gum bleeding or swelling, bad breath, and difficulty chewing. Routine dental checkups are crucial preventive care to detect and treat gum disease early before more complications arise.
Tooth Loss
Tooth loss likely increases as you age. About 1 out of 25 Australian adults may experience complete tooth loss. Often, this is the result of untreated dental issues.
Neglecting tooth loss may affect how you eat, speak, or smile confidently. At worst, it may not only affect your oral function and appearance but also lead to jawbone loss. Finding a reliable dental service provider that offers preventive care can help avoid these issues.
How Regular Checkups Can Save Time and Money
More than just a routine, regular dental checkups are crucial to holistic oral health. Imagine ignoring your next dental visit because of having only a small cavity. Instead of filling it, which is less invasive and costly, it becomes a large infection requiring a root canal or extraction.
Catching these dental issues early can help prevent expensive dental treatments. It also limits the chance of emergency visits, which are stressful, painful, and costly. Hence, scheduling regular checkups in advance is key to minimising the risk of dental emergencies.
What to Expect During a Routine Dental Checkup
While you have easy access to public dentistry, long wait times can be challenging. You may opt for private dental providers like Aesthetic Dental Clinic to prevent delaying your treatment. Here’s what to expect during a routine dental checkup:
Medical History Review
Your dentist may review your previous dental work, medications, allergies, or entire oral condition to assess notable changes and tailor treatment to your dental needs.
Dental Examination
This includes a thorough examination of your teeth, gums or oral tissues to identify any signs of decay, inflammation, and other complications. Your dentist may use an X-ray to take a closer look below the gum line, teeth crevices, and jaw.
Professional Cleaning
After a thorough examination, your dentist or hygienist removes any plaque or tartar. This includes polishing to remove surface stains and fluoride treatment to protect your teeth from cavities enough before the next visit.
Early Oral Intervention
In addition to existing conditions, your dentist can look for indications of ulcers, lesions, and serious medical conditions like excessive bone loss. Often, your dentist provides treatment options like dental implants as a reliable solution to jawbone deterioration due to tooth loss.
How Aesthetic Dental Clinic Can Help
Aesthetic Dental Clinic is Sydney’s leading expert in preventive dental care. Our years of track record reflect our success in helping thousands of patients maintain optimal oral health.
We provide comprehensive dental care, ensuring you’ll get the best dental treatment suited to your needs and preferences. We’re experts in restorative and cosmetic dentistry, especially in handling serious dental complications.
We also offer personalised care to ensure each patient receives the necessary preventive care and treatment. Contact our expert team so you can overcome your dental fears and concerns. We’re ready to help you refine your oral hygiene and habits.
Secure Your Smile with Preventive Care
Skipping or delaying dental checkups could lead to serious dental issues. By scheduling and visiting appointments, your dental provider can detect and intervene in any potential oral complications early, ensuring lasting oral well-being.
Don’t wait until a dental problem arises. Call (02) 4655 4438 to schedule your next dental checkup with Aesthetic Dental Clinic. Book a consultation to secure your pain-free, healthy smile!
