At North Creek Family Dentistry, we don’t shy away from critical thinking patients looking for honest answers. Most people ”know” you “should” visit the dentist regularly, but many fail to make the dentist a priority because they don’t understand the value of the dental visit. Here are a few reasons why our branch of healthcare is important to us and should be important to you.
To begin with, dental visits are important because your mouth is part of your body, and you can’t have a healthy body without a healthy mouth. Your mouth can be seen as a gateway to your body, in the sense that conditions noted during a dental exam may actually be indicative of a systemic problem. To illustrate with just one example, a dentist may note a patient has a “bald tongue”, or lack of papilla that could indicate the systemic condition of anemia. You will note Dr. Cattle completes a head and neck exam when you are a new patient and at your hygiene visits to check for any conditions that necessitate referral to your physician or to a specialist for further examination. Her quick exam checks for anything from oral cancer to canker sores. You will always be informed of the findings so that you know when we are monitoring any conditions and when they need to be treated.
Putting off visits to the dentist also increases the likelihood that small cavities will turn into large tooth infections. Infections from your mouth spread, wreaking havoc on your heart, brain, lymph nodes, and entire body. Bacteria don’t just stay in your mouth; they multiply and invade multiple organ systems. Fungal infections are also common in the mouth, and can be treated before they grow out of control. Here’s the bottom line: regular visits to the dentist, just like other healthcare providers, allows us to diagnose problems when they are small and seek corrective treatment that is more conservative and easier to complete than the extensive treatment needed for larger, chronic issues. A little bit of maintenance work over time can save you a lot of hassle down the road.
Last but not least, you should visit the dentist to take care of your teeth. Teeth have so many important functions in our lives. Physically, they help us chew our food and maintain healthy diets. Socially, they help us communicate by functioning in speech and contributing to facial expressions. Healthy teeth make all of these things possible, and are a great step toward a healthy body.
If you haven’t been to the dentist for awhile, don’t worry- we would still love to meet you! It’s never too late to begin healthy habits, and while it may take some time to rehabilitate your mouth, now is always the best time to start treatment. Give us a call today at 402-413-0505 to schedule a comprehensive exam and see the true value of a dental visit.
