Dental checkups are vital for your health and the cost of avoiding one is far higher than the cost of work that may come from avoiding regular checkups. Here at the Hove Dental Clinic we charge Ā£49 for a dental examination and we advise to have a checkup every six months. This is to make sure you don’t need to have any emergency dental work.
Most dentists will urge their patients to have a check-up every six months, as this is the UK average. However, there may be some people who require more regular visits to the dentist due to numerous factors such as poor mouth hygiene, tooth decay, or other related health problems. Despite all of that, many people still skip out on regular dental visits and come up with colourful reasons why they should delay their visits just a little longer.
In this article we will be looking at just what happens when you skip your regular dentist visits and why your next check-up could cost you thousands as a result.
What if Everything Seems Okay?
Many people skipping out on their regular dental appointments comfort themselves with the knowledge that their mouth looks fine and everything seems to be okay. However, what they fail to realise is that they are not a trained professional and, therefore, do not know how to properly check for any obvious physical changes.
During a dental check-up, your dentist doesnāt just check for noticeable signs of damage, they also check for signs of mouth cancer and any indication of future problems.
What Happens if You Donāt Visit the Dentist Regularly?
Letās take some time to go step-by-step through the months and discover what exactly happens when you donāt visit the dentist for a checkup as regularly as you should.
Waiting 6 Months Between Appointments
As we mentioned earlier, every six months is when your regular check-up should take place. Six months is all the time it takes for your teeth to develop small cavities. These unnoticeable holes are primarily caused by tooth decay which, if not noticed or treated early, can worsen as time goes on. The worst outcome of this problem is tooth loss. If you keep up with your regular six-month visits, these check-ups can save you losing your teeth and paying a fortune out in dental work.
One Year Without a Dentist Checkup
One year is double the time you should miss going to the dentist and, as a result, it is highly likely your chances of gum disease will have risen exponentially. Whatās more, you are increasingly prone to gum disease, the symptoms of which can include painful and bleeding gums. Without treatment, this problem can lead to tooth loss and severe gum damage. Trust us when we say, it is not a pretty sight.
Two Years of Missed Appointments
At this point, it is easy for people to forget the dentist is important to visit after all. Many people will take their gum and tooth health into their own hands and assure themselves, with a quick glance in the bathroom mirror, that everything looks perfectly normal and healthy. However, what you canāt see may be ruining your gums and teeth.
After two years of no dental check-ups, it is increasingly likely that you will have some form of a toothache, an underlying problem that is not visible to an untrained professional, and that you will require an invasive or expensive treatment. By this point, your oral health could be seriously threatened by numerous issues, so it is essential you book a dentist appointment to avoid any major restorative work.
Five Years without a Dental Checkup
Your oral health could now be severely threatened and showing clear visible signs of problems. There have been cases where patients have gone to the dentist at this point only to receive a diagnosis of cysts and require major surgery to remove them.
At this stage, people have neglected even basic tooth care and may now require extreme intervention. Regular dental appointments ensure your teeth are regular scraped to keep the mouth healthy and free from bacteria. Lacking in this will put your oral hygiene and tooth health at serious risk.
10 Years Without a Checkup
Teeth will have become a law unto themselves and your oral hygiene will have significantly declined. Additionally, teeth are likely significantly damaged, worn down, and sensitive. At this stage we would say that if you want to keep your teeth, then you need to visit a dentist as soon as possible.
Keep Your Mouth Healthy and Visit the Dentist
Keeping your oral hygiene up to scratch is one of the most important steps you can take in your daily health and well-being. It will not only save you money, but it can also save you losing all your teeth and for some it can even be the difference between life and death ā helping prevent cancers and other horrible diseases!
Oral infections can spread quickly, and your oral hygiene can easily become compromised. So, be sure to contact us today to book your regular six-month check-ups and keep your teeth in check!
