Braces versus Retainers: A Comprehensive Overveiw

Surprising Reasons to See Your Family Dentist Regularly

1 September 2015 by Lonnie Bryant

Most people know to see their family dentist regularly in order to check for cavities and get a good cleaning. However, there are many other reasons that you and everyone in your family should see your family dentist at least every year, if not twice per year. Note a few of the out-of-the-ordinary reasons to see your family dentist as often as recommended and what they might look for during each visit.

1. Signs of oral cancer

While it's not unusual for someone to have a canker sore or small cut inside the mouth and have it heal on its own, a dentist can note if those sores or irritations are signs of oral cancer. They may want to take a biopsy of a sore that doesn't heal or of any abnormal growth and find out if it is indeed cancer, and if so, schedule surgery or another form of treatment. A dentist may notice these signs of oral cancer in areas of your mouth that you may not be able to see easily, such as under the tongue, on the roof of the mouth, at the back and inside of the cheeks, and so on.

2. Signs of damage from snoring

Snoring might wake you up at night and bother a bedmate of yours, but it can also be very damaging to your overall oral health. When you snore, the mouth and throat fall open and in turn, they dry out. This dryness can mean increased risk of tooth decay, as saliva helps to wash away bacteria and other microbes from the mouth. Snoring also rattles the inside of the mouth and this vibration can irritate tissue and cause soreness. You may not have thought about how snoring can affect your teeth and mouth, but a dentist can note if you have signs of this damage and in turn, fit you with a mouth guard or other appliance to help you stop.

3. Enamel erosion

 Enamel erosion is probably more common today than ever before, as acidic sodas can eat away at the enamel of teeth and in turn, increase their risk of chipping and cracking. You may not notice that you have enamel erosion on your teeth because you may not know what signs to look for when it comes to this damage, but a dentist can examine your teeth and recommend a treatment. This might be a type of covering that is put over the tooth that acts like the enamel and which keeps the tooth from cracking.

Share