It’s been said time and time again that a picture is worth a thousand words. This is especially true when the picture is one of you, smiling in all your glory and showing those pearly white teeth. You should celebrate your smile, and for good reason! A smile doesn’t just show a person’s bubbly personality and confidence, but can also attract the attention of friends, family, and even potential love interests. The average woman smiles 62 times a day, and the average man smiles about 8 times a day. However, this doesn’t change the fact that both men and women need to go see a dentist at least yearly, if not every six months. This is especially true for children, those who have an existing dental problem, or those that simply are obsessed with keeping their smile pretty for the pictures!
What is Dentistry?
Dentistry is a practice that has refined over the years, and many health problems can arise from not getting the proper care from a dentist. It’s important to realize that dentistry is an entire field of its own, with its own specialists, tools, and medicine and procedures. It’s not enough to simply maintain your physicals with your regular doctor- make time to research and get dental care adequately. It’s hard enough flossing and maintaining a good dental hygiene habit, but adding dental care might seem like overkill. Trust us when we say, it’s not. There are times, as well, when you must seek the help of a dentist to prevent further issues from arising. Here are 15 reasons you or your loved one should go see a dentist. They will help you recognize signs and symptoms, and also make you aware of the negative impact neglecting to go see a dentist can have.
1. Cavities
According to the National Institute of Health, cavities in children and adults remain one of the most common problems in medicine even though it’s highly preventable. What makes cavities preventable? For one, if you go see a dentist regularly, they are usually good at catching and treating cavities before they get out of hand. In addition, cavities can be prevented by simply brushing your teeth a little after meals, and also cutting back on sugar and starches. This is because both sugars and starches, as new staples to the human diet not available for millions of years, encourage bacterial growth in our teeth that lead to cavities. Without proper dental hygiene, cavities can quickly get out of hand and grow to be painful. If you suspect you have a cavity, go see a dentist right away.
2. Dental Crowding
Dental crowding is one of those issues that is unavoidable, but should still be treated if possible. Dental crowding occurs due to a genetic disposition, where are persons jaw is small than normal. This small jaw size renders teeth to grow crowded, jagged, unattractive and unhealthy. Though countries such as Japan find the crowded teeth look charming, this can be a problem that can have negative effects. The inability to brush your teeth, shyness, and inability to floss are just a few of the problems you might encounter with crowded teeth. Go see a dentist to see what the best options to align your teeth are. Due to health insurance, they might try surgery, or simply fix the problem with braces. Unfortunately, many times Invisalign and invisible retainers will not help dental crowding.
3. Staining
Staining can occur unknowingly, and can cause our teeth to look discolored and unattractive. Staining can be caused by eating certain foods, such as hot coffee, turmeric, and smoking. Staining can not only cause you to lose confidence and your smile, but also be increasingly difficult to remove if left untreated. Go see a dentist to see what dental cleanings, laser treatments, and preventative care can be used for you.
4. Child Fussiness
Many times it’s difficult to know when babies and young children are feeling sick, tired, or even angry. This is especially true when it comes to determining what children feel when it comes to their teeth. If you notice your child acting fussy, avoiding certain foods, holding their jaw, or any other symptoms, it’s better to go see a dentist that specializes in children dentistry for possible problems. Toothaches, cavities, sensitivity, and especially losing teeth while growing adult teeth are all extremely common problems that your child may have.
5. Abscesses
Caveman have been known to have created the first-ever analgesic pain reliever out of plants, simply to rid themselves of the pain of a tooth abscess. Not only are abscesses incredibly painful, but they can also get easily infected and cause even deadlier symptoms than pain. These include fever, high blood pressure, nausea, and vomiting. Some abscesses can even result as the cause of a faulty root canal treatment, for instance. It’s important to go see a dentist and follow-up with any post-op procedures regularly, especially if you feel you have an infected tooth abscess.
6. Tooth Decay
As we grow older and get more cavities, missing teeth, and even practice unhealthy dental hygiene, our teeth grow weaker and weaker. Eventually, even things such as the use of drugs can cause your teeth to decay prematurely. Consider talking to a doctor and go see a dentist about negative issues impacting your life causing tooth decay. Then, perhaps consider restorative dentistry services to help you get your smile back.
7. Gingivitis
It’s not just enough to brush our tooth twice a day and after meals- flossing is even more important. The inability (or refusal) to floss can lead to not just heated arguments about hygiene, but also lack of hygiene itself. You see, without properly flossing, you open yourself up to the nasty disease of gingivitis. Inflamed, bleeding gums are never a good sign. Go see a dentist if you have been less than strict about flossing, and seek treatment for gingivitis in the long run.
8. Tooth Sensitivity
Sensitive teeth are not only painful, but can prevent you from eating certain foods. Sensitivity comes in the form of pain after drinking cold items, or eating cold items such as ice cream. Luckily, this is one of the most common problems in dentistry. Thus, it can easily be treated with treatments such as enamel-strengthening toothpaste and cleanings. Go see a dentist if you feel tooth sensitivity, and enjoy cold foods again!
9. Dentures
As we get older, our teeth will eventually begin to fall out. Unlike our baby teeth, adult teeth cannot grow back and must be taken care of to last us as long as possible. Go see a dentist if you’ve reached the age where your teeth have begun to fall out and now it’s impossible to eat. Getting dentures or even dental implants will not only help your confidence, but also help you maintain a healthy diet.
10. Impacted Teeth
Just like with dental crowding, a smaller than usual mouth or other congenital jaw deformities can cause teeth to grow in inappropriately. This is what’s known as impacted teeth, and it can be extremely painful when chewing, but oftentimes causes no symptoms at all! Impacted teeth occur when the tooth cannot break through the gum line. Many times they are seen in routine X-Rays in your dental office. It’s important to get these treated if you’re feeling pain, or have bleeding or swollen gums.
11. Wisdom Teeth Removal
If you’ve ever been in the military, you probably have experienced what it feels like to have your wisdom teeth removed. Many times, wisdom teeth grow in at the very back of our mouths and cause immense pain due to their growth coming in semi-sideways. Not to worry, wisdom tooth removal is one of the most common orthodontic services nowadays. Go see a dentist if you begin to feel pain from wisdom teeth. For a lucky few, wisdom teeth don’t cause any sort of pain. However, a dentist will be able to tell if wisdom teeth are done growing, and if they will eventually need to be removed.
12. Chipped Tooth
Whether you were in a bad accident, rough-housing, or simply just slipped and fell, a chipped tooth can happen anywhere. Preventative care is always best in this instance. Ensuring your teeth are healthy and strong can help prevent chipped teeth. Sometimes, however, it’s unavoidable. Make sure to go see a dentist to receive cosmetic dental treatment for your chipped teeth. Not only will it help your self-esteem and get your smile back, but it can help you enjoy foods you might not be able to, such as hard fruits and veggies.
13. Toothaches
Many times toothaches appear seemingly out of nowhere, and disappear almost as fast as they appeared. Over the counter treatments for toothaches can include Bengay cream that kills bacteria and provides relief. Also, you could always take Ibuprofen or Tylenol to help with the pain. However, if you feel nothing is helping your toothache, it might be time to consider you go see a dentist. Toothaches are somewhat mysterious, but oftentimes have an underlying reason. A dentist will be better able to help you figure out your toothache as well. It’s important to see a dentist and not just a medical professional, as dentists can help you specifically with your oral medical issues. There is an exception, however. If you have canker sores, develop a fever, nausea, vomiting, or dizziness along with swelling with your toothache, it might be best to visit the nearest doctor as soon as possible.
14. Bad Breath
From eating a big and rich meal, to not brushing properly, to simply having poor dental hygiene, halitosis (aka bad breath) can cause your life to be miserable. People don’t want to talk to you, or turn away too soon, you feel insecure and don’t know how to fix it. It’s a common problem, and can oftentimes be fixed with proper brushing, flossing, and using mouthwash. However, sometimes bad breath can be caused by things such as an infection or growth and even impacted teeth. Go see a dentist if you feel your bad breath is getting in the way of your life, and not improving despite your efforts.
15. Oral Cancer
If you’re a heavy smoker, drink excessive alcohol, or use chewing tobacco from popular brands like Snuss, then you should be having regular check-ups not only with your doctor, but with your dentist as well. Oral cancer begins with pain in the mouth area, and then to noticeable growths and lesions in the oral area. Oral cancer, like all cancers, comes randomly as a result of genetic mutations that cause tumors to grow.
However, the above-mentioned drinking and smoking increase your risk of getting oral and other cancers significantly. Leading a healthy lifestyle and avoiding risk factors can help, but sometimes even this is not enough. If you notice pain, ulcers, sores, and white plaques begin to form, it’s important to go see a dentist first and foremost, and then follow-up with your primary doctor for any treatment such as radiation and chemotherapy. Luckily, oral cancer has a 5-year survival rate for all people of 84% when diagnosed early. That’s good news, and can give you hope if you find yourself in this situation.
Get your Confidence Back
A great smile is everything, and it helps not just yourself, but those around you feel happy and confident. From cleaning to broken teeth repair, to cancer treatment, the job of a dentist is specialized but greatly varied at the same time. Go see a dentist to fix any of your dental issues and begin to feel great, act great, and look great again.
