Why Dental Checkups are Important: 5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Put Off Your Twice-Yearly Visits

According to common dental care advice, people should see a dentist twice a year for dental checkups and exams to maintain optimum oral health. This schedule covers the bases for most dental care needs, but generalized advice cannot account for every situation. In many cases, patients require more regular checkups to monitor a condition, manage a dental appliance, or receive other forms of specialized care.

Only an experienced dental professional can examine your health history, oral hygiene routine, and well-being to set the schedule you need to keep your smile healthy and happy. At Keys Dental Specialists, we help patients set a care schedule that matches their unique health situation and desired outcomes. This schedule will include checkups with our experienced team at a frequency suited to your needs.

Continue reading to learn our top 5 reasons why regular dental checkups remain a vital part of any dental care routine.

1. Experienced care: Google may offer seemingly logical explanations for why your teeth have become sensitive or your filling feels loose, but generalized advice without context is unhelpful at best. At worst, it can make the problem more serious by giving you misleading dental care advice that doesn’t apply to your situation. A Google search cannot replace experienced care from an educated dental professional. We believe that effective oral care requires personalization – care that is tailored to the needs, goals, and well-being of each patient. As a worried internet user, you’re just a number. As a patient, you are a valued participant in customizing your care to match your needs.
2. Annual tests: Even with an impeccable oral hygiene routine, the stresses of eating and drinking our country’s overly processed, sugary food products catch up with our teeth at some point. Cavities, plaque, and tartar require studious management since regular wear and tear will make treatment necessary sooner or later. Delaying treatment will only make the problems more difficult to treat later. Annual X-rays or CBCT scans (“Cone Beam Computed Tomography”) allow dentists to examine your oral structures for potential problems. When problems are detected early, affordable and routine treatments can prevent wear and tear from becoming serious conditions like gingivitis, periodontitis, or tooth loss. Your dentist may need to conduct tests more frequently depending on your situation. This personalization is another benefit of having regular checkups since any delay in a diagnosis can result in costly treatment needs that could have been prevented.
3. Hygiene advice: While many people only see their dentists for oral emergencies, an experienced dentist can provide hygiene advice tailored to your unique needs. This is especially important if you suffer from chronic conditions, such as gum disease, immunodeficiency syndromes, or diabetes. Your dentist can examine your health history and provide accurate hygiene advice that will make emergencies less common. Checkups also provide an opportunity for you to ask questions about your unique situation. Our experienced staff is there for your needs. Feel free to take advantage of our knowledge and experience to learn how to optimize your oral care, whether you have complex treatment needs or a simple daily routine.
4. Treatment planning: Regular checkups help you stay informed about your oral health status, including staying up-to-date on your treatment plan. Patients with dental appliances, restorations, or long-term treatment needs can use this time to ask questions about their prognosis, reschedule follow-ups, or review their medical history. Checkups allow patients to take control of their oral health with the help of an experienced professional. Those with long-term treatment needs should check in frequently with their dental professionals to ensure that things are progressing smoothly and any issues can be resolved quickly.
5. Early disease detection: The signs of chronic illnesses differ between patients. An initial experience with tooth sensitivity, swelling, or pain can signal that something more serious is going on. Dental checkups allow a professional to review your symptoms and perform the necessary diagnostic tests to detect and treat chronic oral health problems as quickly as possible.

Here are some examples of symptoms that you should always have checked out by a dental professional. If you experience these symptoms, don’t wait for your next bi-annual checkup – schedule an appointment right away to get ahead of the issue and begin treatment.

• Gum discoloration, bleeding, or swelling
• Facial numbness
• Lump in your cheek, lips, jaw, or tongue
• Persistent bad breath
• Loose teeth
• Chronic headaches/migraines

Our experienced team will examine your symptoms and either prescribe a course of treatment or refer you to a specialist who can help. If you experience symptoms, delaying your visit can result in a delay in treatment. The sooner we can examine and treat your condition, the better your prognosis will be.

What to expect from your dental checkup

From the moment you check in with the receptionist to the time you leave the office, our experienced team is there to guide you through your dental checkup. This begins once you are called to the exam room where the hygienist will greet you. If you are scheduled for X-rays, they will do it before your cleaning.

During your cleaning, the hygienist will use tools such as scrapers and scalers to loosen and remove tartar buildup on the surface of your teeth and under the gumline. They will then polish and floss your teeth.

The scans and the results of the cleaning will be reported to the dentist, who will review them before speaking with you. The dentist will then perform a quick visual examination of your teeth, gums, palate, and throat, checking for anything unusual or confirming the results of the X-rays. At this point, they will discuss your oral health with you, including additional work you may need and your oral health habits.

For routine dental checkups, this concludes the entire process. The goal is to help you maintain both your physical oral health as well as your awareness of your condition to ensure that issues are spotted early and your treatment starts as soon as possible.

Experiencing dental anxiety? We’re here to help

Over 1 in 3 adults experience some form of dental anxiety, with many reporting that their fear causes them to delay their treatment. We believe that relieving dental anxiety begins with a patient-forward approach to dental care. Our staff is always available to answer questions and concerns to make your checkups less nerve-wracking.

If this still isn’t enough to help you calm your nerves, we want to know so we can help you come to a solution as our office offers multiple types of dental sedation. Our staff is here to make your dental checkups easier in any way we can to ensure that you get the treatment you deserve.

Visit Keys Dental Specialists for Advanced Restorative Dentistry

At Keys Dental Specialists, we pride ourselves on being the best Key West dentist in the fields of maxillofacial surgery and restorative dentistry. Our surgeon, Dr. Eberle, is double board-certified in providing complex dental implant restorations including root canals, jaw and facial reconstructions, dental implants, bone grafts, corrective jaw surgeries, and more.

Our team of specialists is committed to helping you find the level of care you deserve. Feel free to contact us so we can help you get on the right track to discovering (or rediscovering) your ideal smile.