5 Reasons You Can’t Afford to Neglect Your Oral Health

Foregoing regular dental checkups and cleanings or not practicing proper oral hygiene can take a toll on your overall well-being. Neglecting your oral health can have lasting effects on your daily life and future. From increasing healthcare costs to resulting in costly or time-consuming treatments, neglecting your oral health can have great effects on your wellbeing and your wallet. Following are five reasons why you shouldn’t take your oral health for granted.

Teeth Cannot Self-Heal

Once the enamel surface of your teeth becomes damaged, they cannot heal on their own. This means that after a tooth is chipped or a cavity develops, the tooth cannot regenerate new tissue. Permanent damage to a tooth from a dental injury or disease requires the placement of a restoration to protect its structure and prevent more damage.

Gum Disease Can Destroy Your Health

Untreated gum disease can literally destroy your oral health. This condition is capable of eroding bone and gums due to a systemic infection that kills soft tissue and breaks down the support structures of teeth. Advanced gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss among adults. This condition must be managed with professional treatment to control its effects.

Oral Cancer Can Be Fatal

During routine checkups, dentists and oral surgeons will screen patients for oral cancer. This form of cancer can be fatal if not detected early enough. Since cancer can form anywhere in the oral cavity, annual screenings are important for early diagnoses.

Tooth Loss Has Devastating Effects

Neglecting your oral health can lead to the loss of adult teeth. Losing teeth during adulthood will negatively affect every part of your life. By making speaking and eating difficult to affecting your self-esteem, tooth loss has devastating effects on your mind and body.

Prevention Saves Money

Scheduling routine care can literally save you money. Early treatment of oral health problems is usually very conservative and therefore cost effective when compared to treatments used to address advanced damage and disease.

Call us today to reserve an appointment with our oral surgeon.