When did you last see a dentist?
If you had to stop and think about the answer, it has probably been longer than it should be. Dental visits are among the easiest appointments to postpone, because teeth tend to be quiet right up until the moment they are not.
September is National Oral Health Month in South Africa, which makes it a sensible prompt to deal with something most of us have been meaning to get to.
The case for going before something hurts
The central argument for regular check-ups is simple: almost every dental problem is smaller, cheaper, quicker and more comfortable to treat early.
Tooth decay begins invisibly, in the grooves of a tooth or between teeth where a toothbrush cannot reach. Caught early, it is a small filling. Left alone, it reaches the nerve, and what would have been a routine appointment becomes root canal treatment or an extraction. Gum disease follows a similar pattern. In its early stage, gingivitis, it is reversible with professional cleaning and better daily habits. Allowed to progress to periodontitis, it damages the bone supporting your teeth, and that damage does not come back.
A check-up also gives your dentist the chance to spot things you would never notice yourself, including early signs of oral cancer, cracks in teeth, problems with existing fillings or crowns, and wear patterns that suggest grinding.
What actually happens at a check-up
For anyone who has been away a while, or who finds dental visits stressful, knowing the shape of the appointment helps.
- A discussion about your general health, any medication you take and anything you have noticed since your last visit.
- An examination of your teeth, gums, tongue, cheeks and the soft tissues of your mouth.
- X-rays where needed, to see between teeth and below the gumline.
- A professional clean to remove plaque and hardened tartar that brushing cannot shift.
- A clear explanation of what was found and what, if anything, needs attention, along with the options and costs.
For most people with reasonably healthy mouths, the whole thing is one appointment and you walk out with nothing more than a cleaner mouth and a date for the next one. A bi-annual check-up remains the standard recommendation for most adults.
Your mouth is connected to the rest of you
Oral health is not a separate category of health. Gum disease has recognised associations with cardiovascular disease and with poorly controlled diabetes, and the relationship runs in both directions: diabetes makes gum disease more likely, and gum disease makes blood sugar harder to control. Chronic oral infection places an inflammatory burden on the body that is worth taking seriously. Pregnancy, certain medications and smoking all affect gum health too.
Which is another way of saying that a dental check-up is a general health check-up as much as a dental one. Book your dental check-up today!
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