Posted by The NHS England has some interesting stats to share! In the period of 24 months that ended on 31 March 2018, as many as 22.1 million people went to NHS dentists. The figure represents a little over the total population in England. This data if properly interpreted gives quite a grim picture. Nearly half the population of England prefer to avoid visiting a dentist even though they acutely need to visit one. In other words although their oral health earnestly demands that they go for a dental check up immediately they keep ignoring it in one pretext or the other.
Delaying visits to your dentist serves no purpose only other than piled up issues related to oral health. This invariably costs you more pain, money and time in the long run.
In order to enjoy sound oral health it is utmost important to visit your dentist at regular intervals. These regular checkups also serve other purposes. For example these routine visits help detecting an issue at its initial stages when a complete cure is not only possible with proper treatment but is also faster to get and probably at a lesser cost. Oral cancer cases that are detected early have much greater survival rate.
Moreover it is important to remember that sound oral hygiene has a massive impact on your general health and overall wellbeing.
So when should I visit the dentist? This is the obvious question that automatically pops up at this stage. So, when should you really? Let us find out in the paragraph below.
When you know it is time to visit the dentist
When you are in pain
certainly you must visit your dentist if you experience pain either in the teeth, the jaws or the gums. The pain indicates something is wrong and of you yet ignore going for a check-up the problem will only become more complicated. For example – a simple tooth decay that could have been sorted out with a filling when ignored and left untreated leads to an abscess that needs root canal treatment and a crown.
Bleeding gums
Bleeding gums usually indicates inflammation in the gum tissues although there could be many other reasons behind that only a dentist can diagnose correctly. On the other hand when you do not know the right techniques of flossing, the gums can bleed. Habitual smokers usually have inflammation in the gums but they do not show any symptom until and unless one gives up smoking. As one quits smoking the symptom of gum inflammation usually comes up in form of bleeding gums. Taking proper care of the gums is vital for everyone. Managing gum health is always a team work and requires sufficient contribution from a dentist, a patient and a dental hygienist. As a matter of fact the maximum contribution in these cases must come from none other but the patient.
Halitosis or bad breath
Temporary bad breath can be because of various reasons and is not a serious issue. For example when you eat raw onion or garlic, you have temporary bad smell but that goes off when you brush the teeth and rinse the mouth well with a medicated mouthwash. But when you have consistent bad breath, it indicates there is a serious problem with your oral health. Various reasons that lead to consistent bad breath include the following
- Undiagnosed gum infection or periodontal disease
- Cancer in the mouth
- Gross decay of the teeth
However certain other medication conditions related to your general health can also be the reason to bad breath. These factors include diabetes, post nasal drip, pharyngeal pouches, acid reflux and others.
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Problem of tooth sensitivity
While eating or drinking anything hot or cold, if you experience pain and inconvenience in the mouth then you are suffering from tooth sensitivity. This is a pretty common problem and can be dealt with pretty easily by a dentist. However if the problem triggers from a fracture in the tooth, exposed tooth roots, gum disease or periodontal infection or a damaged restoration then it might take some time to wither away. On the other hand in many cases the solution lies in as simple techniques as changing the brushing technique or switching over to desensitising toothpaste. Even crowning a tooth proves helpful in many cases. But it is utmost important to visit a dentist as fast as you can and get yourself diagnosed. Proper diagnosis helps identifying the actual reason behind your sensitive tooth and thus the necessary corrective measure can be taken to overcome it.
Oral injury including persistent ulcer and unexplained lump or bump in the mouth – an accidental fall or knock deliver a trauma to the mouth and yet many people refuse to get diagnosed by a dentist after such experience. They accept a tooth has become loosened but do not seek proper treatment. But you should visit a dentist immediately if you experience any pain or discomfort in any of the tooth after an accidental fall or knock. On the other hand, an unexplained lump or a persistent mouth ulcer can be the first symptoms of oral cancer. However such conditions do not always lead to oral cancer as there can be other reasons as well. But a visit to a dentist for correct diagnosis of the problem is very important.
Problem from any dental work you recently have had – in certain cases, an issue stays alive even after a dental work. Patients mistakenly think that is normal and so they overlook the problem. But these issues need to be addressed instantly rather than at your next dental check-up. A dentist can be skilled and technically sound and yet this type of complications may arise. A common incidence is a filling left slightly high. The patient was numb with local anaesthesia and could not point it out that time. A Wimbledon NHS dentist says such issues must be brought to notice without waiting till the next visit. Because of this complication the patient cannot close the mouth in usual position. If the patient also suffers from teeth grinding or bruxism, this little issue may create irreversible damage to the nerve of the tooth in the long run.