Q: Do I need to see a dentist if my mouth feels fine and my teeth look great?
A: Those are two good reasons why you should see your dentist regularly-at least twice a year. If you've got a good thing going, why not keep it that way? Catching a problem in your mouth, whether it's decay or the even more common malady of gum disease, gives you a much better chance of resolving it before it becomes critical. And a strictly financial consideration is that addressing a problem early is most likely going to be less expensive than addressing it later.
Over the years, with the advances in dental care and education, the incidence of decay is down. But the incidence of gum disease, also called periodontal disease, is up. Even if your teeth are sound, if your gums are diseased you have a problem. As the disease progresses, it can erode both the tissue and the bone that support the teeth. Your casual glances at your gums at home will not detect gum disease when it's in its early stage. It takes a dental exam to detect gum disease. A rule of thumb-rule of gum?-for visiting your dentist is every six to twelve months. But only a dentist can determine what the right schedule is for you. So visit one soon, even if your mouth feels fine.
|
Top
