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The Importance of Regular Dental Checkups in Adulthood

A common misconception is that adults don’t need to visit the dentist as often as they did as children and teenagers. Whether this theory is rooted in a lack of dental insurance—dental coverage is usually the first thing to go when a company is trying to save money on the benefits it offers—or the belief that adult dental care isn’t as necessary as child dental care, nothing could be further from the truth!

And those who only go to the dentist when a tooth is throbbing are doing far more short- and long-term damage to their mouths than they would if they saw the dentist twice a year, just as they did years earlier. Read on for tips on why regular dental checkups are as advantageous for adults as they are for children!

—Regular dental checkups minimize the issues that can crop up in your mouth—everything from cavities to gum and periodontal disease—and give dentists a good “roadmap,” so to speak, of your mouth so that they can identify potential issues long before you become symptomatic. It’s better to catch an ailment in your mouth before it starts to give you discomfort, as this will likely result in a less painful and possibly less costly treatment, as well.

—You can get X-rays during your regular dental checkups. X-rays are another preventive measure that can be used to identify problems before they become serious and costly.

—At regular dental checkups you’ll get the type of cleaning you can’t approximate at home. No matter how often or how well you brush and floss, you won’t give yourself as thorough a cleaning as a single professional cleaning will provide. These cleanings will pull off the plaque that builds up over time and will clean both below and above the gum line, areas that are difficult to get at with regular brushing and flossing.

—Dentists can reveal whether or not you’re brushing and flossing properly. Brushing your teeth is perhaps the most routine and well-practiced thing you do all day, but it’s easy to develop bad habits in adult dental care that will, in turn, result in an ineffective brushing of your teeth. Dentists can give you a disclosing agent—a red tablet that you chew—which attaches to plaque. This will let you know which areas of your mouth you’re missing with daily brushings and/or areas you’re missing that can only be addressed with a professional cleaning.

—It’s always good to get a reminder of what goes into good dental care. Nobody knows teeth and good dental care like a dentist! It’s easy, with the hustle and bustle of everyday life, to let things slide and to not be as proactive as we should, even with something as routine and important as adult dental care. A stern reminder from the dentist during regular dental checkups about the little how as an adult, dental care is no less important now than it ever was, can go a long way. So pay attention to what your dentist has to say during regular dental checkups, and ask questions about anything from daily brushing and flossing to watching your diet and everything in between. Be proactive about good dental care!

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