Visiting the dentist is something that people tend to put on their “eventual to-do list.” It’s not the most desirable thing. It tends to be up there with cleaning underneath your bed or even getting your oil changed. They are all things that need to get done, but it can be tempting to put them off. Unfortunately, when you do that with a dental visit, you put yourself in a bad spot. What happens when you put off going to the dentist?
Well, the typical recommendation is every 6 months for a patient with normal teeth and gums. Getting a cleaning and assessment twice per year is generally enough. During the visit, you will get your teeth professionally cleaned to get rid of any buildup of tartar and plaque. Also, during the visit, the hygienist and dentist will check for cavities.
If it’s not possible to go twice per year, there are still things that you can do to keep your teeth and gums healthy in-between visits. However, it’s always recommended to try to go to the dentist a minimum of twice per year. A good way to keep your teeth and gums healthy is by avoiding sugar, using a fluoride mouth rinse, and by brushing and flossing regularly.
Keeping your mouth healthy comes down to what you do in between your dental visits. However, here are some of the things that could happen if you put off going to the dentist too long.
- Skipping For One Year
Assuming it’s approaching one year since you last visited the dentist, you could have a bunch of things going on with your mouth.
Development of new cavities
One of those things could be the development of new cavities. This could be smaller-sized cavities starting or brand-new cavities cropping up. You could also be in the early stages of gum disease which can lead to gingivitis. This is typically something you need to worry about if you eat a lot of candy or if you don’t brush often enough. Each of these things can result in bad breath. Therefore, you should keep a “nose” on your breath to ensure you aren’t developing signs of gum disease.
- Skipping For Two Years
If you haven’t been to the dentist for 2 years, you could be approaching even more problems. You could be at the point where you have cavities that can no longer be fixed by filling them. Instead, you may need to get a root canal procedure done to save your tooth. When your tooth is exposed too much to excess sugar and other acidity, it can decay at an increased rate.
This is not only more expensive than getting a cavity filled, but it’s going to be much more complicated too. When it comes to periodontal disease, you can start to lose bone. The disease can damage the soft tissue surrounding the bone and eventually begin to eat away at the bone itself. You may want to check out The Dental Practice if you would like to find out more information.
- Skipping For Five Years
While it seems improbable, this is something that a lot of people do. It seems challenging to skip going to the dentist for 5 years, but it’s a reality for many. This is a terrible idea if it can be prevented.
Five years is a long time. In five years, a small cavity could have progressed substantially to the point where the tooth cannot be saved. The tooth could require extraction. Along with this, if you start to lose bone density in the jaw, tooth loss can be next.
As you can probably tell, it’s important to visit the dentist and do so regularly. With regular visits to a dentist, you can prevent a lot of problems from starting or progressing. This can save you a lot of “toothache” and money in the long run.
