Importance Of Regular Dental Checkups In Catching Problems Early – News18
Regular dental checkups are as crucial as systemic and general health checks as oral health and general health are interlinked
Dr. Poonam Dutt, Periodontist, HCL Healthcare shares the importance of dental check ups
Regular dental visits are mostly scary for many people and due to this fear, many people avoid dental checkups. They visit the dentist only when they have pain or swelling or some significant discomfort. This fear basically makes people delay the dental checkups which leads to situations where the dental issue is aggravated and needs costly treatment. Early detection of problems in the oral cavity helps to take preventive steps and easy and multiple treatment options are available which are also affordable. Now-a days with the development of latest technology and advancement in medical field has led to practice of painless dentistry. This aspect should be brought in front of patients so that the fear factor can be managed and nullify its influence in decision making for common people.
“Prevention is better than cure”, is a saying which is not only applicable to general and systemic health, but also for oral health. Regular dental checkups are as crucial as systemic and general health checks as oral health and general health are interlinked. A dental examination can identify several dental issues. Most of the dental issues are detectable early and can be treated and cured easily. A healthy body needs a healthy oral cavity too.
Dental X-rays taken during dental examination find out lot of dental issues which are hidden to naked eyes like proximal caries, or abscess found in underlying gums and bones. In many cases the source of infection is found out during these visits using these diagnostic tools. There is advancement of tools in dentistry making modern dentistry more comfortable and patient friendly. With the advent of evidence-based dentistry the practice of dentistry has become more transparent.
The oral health gets compromised in many major systemic health diseases like diabetes, heart diseases and other important systemic diseases. Bad and poor oral health and hygiene also affects general systemic health like heart disease, increases diabetes, effects in strokes and lung conditions too as it was found in a study conducted by British Dental Health Foundation.
According to studies, it was found out that having one’s teeth cleaned by dentist can help reduce your risk of heart attack and strokes. Infective endocarditis is a very common issue found in heart patients with poor oral hygiene. In this the bacteria settles in the blockages of the heart and causes infection and inflammation of heart tissues.
Chronic inflammation of the gums is also behind this association. We can lessen bacteria that cause inflammation by cleaning and scaling on a regular basis. The body’s blood vessel function is enhanced as a result. Our bodies’ natural inflammation has been connected to a number of illnesses, particularly heart-related diseases.
Oral cancers pose a very serious health issue. Regular dental checkups by dentists help to diagnose these oral cancer lesions much sooner and can be lifesaving. Metastasis of the malignant lesion to other parts of the body and affecting those organs is very common in cancer. Regular dental checkups can help detect pre-cancerous lesions which can be sent for biopsy or other tests and the medication and lifestyle changes can be useful in these cases to prevent them to turn into malignant lesion. Again, proving “prevention is better than cure”.
Some of the signs of oral cancers include:
- sores that do not heal,
- unusual bleeding
- white/greyish/reddish patches on the buccal mucosa.Regular examinations, scaling and checkups also help to prevent gum disease that can lead to tooth loss. Gingivitis (infection of the gums) can destroy the gums and bone, which are the anchor and support system of teeth. Tooth decay can also cause tooth loss. Losing your permanent teeth can cause your adjacent teeth to shift which can have a detrimental effect on your oral health, leading to further losses of other good functional teeth, affecting one’s functionality.Oral health conditions like gum infections, dental caries/tooth decay and other multiple oral conditions when diagnosed in early stages can be easily cured and preventive measures can be suggested and implemented. These steps prevent major damages health wise as well as financially.
Dietary consumptions are also recorded and analyzed to decide if sugar and carbohydrate intake is higher or not and balanced diet can be suggested which directly also influences general health of the person.
Many factors decide the frequency of dental visits which are suggested by dentist. It is based on the patients’ hereditary, dietary consumption, medications, general health conditions, oral health and hygiene, social and personal lifestyles. More visits are warranted in case any of these factors are present in the patients’ health. With advancement in our medical technology which has made dentistry also modern, the need to change the mindsets of the patients are as important as dental treatment. This also a part of dentist role and responsibility towards the society and community. With spread of awareness, we will be able to reduce dental diseases.
Good oral health leady to happy and healthy smiles. Keep smiling.
