We often take our oral health for granted, and many people don’t even think about it until they are in pain. Somehow, it’s become normal to think about our mouths and our teeth as completely separate from the rest of our body. But oral health is very closely related to overall health. Preventive dental visits are an important way to maintain not just a healthy mouth but a healthy body as well.
Get Thee to a Dentist
You take pretty good care of your teeth by brushing and flossing daily. You don’t have any major dental issues. So do you really need to see the dentist every six months?
Yes!
In addition to preventing painful and costly dental problems later on, regular dentist visits can detect signs of nutritional deficiencies, general infection or even more serious systemic diseases. More than 120 diseases can cause specific signs and symptoms in and around the mouth and jaw. But a dentist doing regular check-ups can spot symptoms that could indicate serious health problems elsewhere in the body. Periodontal (gum) disease, for example, has been linked to a host of health problems, such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
Bottom Line: Better oral health translates into better overall health, and that means fewer days of school or work missed to dental pain and more confidence to go forward in the pursuit of your goals.