Are you overdue for a Dental checkup? Perhaps you dropped off your dental visits during the pandemic. Maybe you recently moved to the northern Las Vegas area and haven’t found a dentist yet. Perhaps there’s no good reason why you stopped making dental appointments. No matter the cause, now is the time to get back on a good schedule with your dental checkups. 

Not sure of the benefits of dental checkups? Here are ten reasons why you should get a dental checkup now. 

Avoid Cavities

Cavities are one of the biggest threats to your Teeth. Unlike most tissues in your body, teeth can’t heal. Once they get damaged, they have to be repaired, and none of the repair materials we have are as good as your natural teeth. It’s best to avoid damage to your teeth whenever possible, and getting regular checkups can help with this. 

We can see signs of cavities as they’re beginning to develop at a checkup. You can potentially reverse the damage before it becomes cavities when it’s in the early stages, with changes to your diet and oral hygiene routine. We might recommend CariFree or other approaches to head off your cavities. 

Preserve Your Teeth

The biggest threat to your teeth, however, is gum disease. Gum disease occurs when bacteria infect the area around your teeth. 

Between the bacteria themselves and the body’s aggressive response to fight the infection, gum disease can damage the gums and bone around your teeth. At first, you might notice bleeding gums. Then you’ll have receding gums that can make your teeth look like they’re getting longer. Later, your teeth get loose, and, finally, they fall out. 

Keep Your Breath Fresh

Everybody gets bad breath from time to time. However, if you don’t make your regular dental checkups, you might end up with foul-smelling breath that you can’t get rid of. 

This could be due to deposits of bacteria that you’re not reaching or can’t do anything about. They might be concealed under tartar growths. Tartar is hardened dental plaque, like rocks growing in your mouth. The bacteria growing under them or other parts of your mouth where oxygen doesn’t reach smell especially bad. Mouthwash won’t help you get rid of this smell.

During your cleaning, we will remove these growths and any smelly bacteria. Once we’ve removed the tartar, you will be able to keep your mouth clean and your breath fresh. 

Sometimes, though, bad breath is a sign of a different oral health problem, such as gum disease or an infected tooth, that might need dedicated care. 

Enjoy Your Food

Bad breath isn’t just a problem for others; it affects your ability to enjoy your food. When you have bad breath, you might also have a bad taste in your mouth that makes it hard to enjoy foods—the flavor of everything is off. 

It’s also hard to enjoy your food if you have other oral health problems like gum disease or cavities. With gum disease, you will get food stuck between your teeth or painfully stuck between your teeth and gums. Your teeth might be sensitive, making you give up foods that are hard to chew. 

Reduce Heart Risks

Although you go to a different doctor for your mouth than your heart, the two are connected when it comes to their health. If you have poor oral health, such as gum disease or infected teeth, it can put you at greater risk for heart problems. People who lose their teeth to gum disease have double the risk of death from heart conditions. 

Maintain Your Overall Health

But it’s not just heart disease risk that can be increased by gum disease. In addition, gum disease can put you at increased risk for diabetes, dementia, rheumatoid arthritis, and more serious health conditions. Plus, you might be avoiding crunchy fruits and vegetables and eating more soft, processed foods, which can contribute to poor overall health.

Getting regular dental checkups helps keep your bacterial load under control which can help you stay generally healthy with more ability to resist future infections.  

Have a Brighter Smile

Getting a dental cleaning can also help you have a brighter, healthier-looking smile. In addition to removing the unsightly tartar from your teeth, we polish your teeth. This allows your smile to look more radiant, healthier, and younger, too. 

Ask about Cosmetic Dentistry

For many people, cleaning and polishing their teeth is enough to make them happy with the appearance of their smile. However, if you’re still not satisfied with your smile, there’s no better time to bring it up than during your regular dental checkup. Just ask Las Vegas dentist James B. Polley about the options for improving your smile. He will listen to your concerns and recommend cosmetic dentistry options for getting a smile you’ll be happy to show off.

Detect Health Problems Early

Your dental checkup can reveal more than whether you have gum disease, cavities, and similar problems. It can help you find other health problems, too. Between looking at your teeth and gums and smelling your breath, your dentist may be able to diagnose many health conditions, such as diabetes, stress, oral cancer, GERD, and more. Regular dental visits can help you detect these problems and get timely treatment. 

Save Money

Many people think they are saving money by skipping dental appointments. However, the opposite is likely true: missing dental appointments is likely costing you money. 

Oral health problems like cavities and gum disease are a lot less expensive to treat in the early stages. In addition, treating gum disease can save thousands of dollars from the treatment cost of other conditions, like heart disease, stroke, and more. 

Have Peace of Mind

Don’t underestimate the benefit of just getting peace of mind. If you suspect health problems but don’t know for sure if you have them, you will likely spend hours worrying about them. It’s much better to get a dental appointment and a clean bill of health. Then you’ll be able to enjoy life without worries. That in itself is worth taking the time for a dental checkup. 

Looking for a Dental Checkup in Las Vegas?

If you’re overdue for a dental checkup, let us help. Please call (702) 873-0324 or email the dental office of Dr. James B. Polley today to request an appointment.