Top Reasons Not to Skip Your Next Dental Appointment

How often would you say you cancel or reschedule a hair appointment? Or a visit to see your massage or physical therapist? What about the dentist? It’s just a cleaning, right? It can wait — besides, “I’m not in any dental pain.” Before undervaluing the importance of your dental appointment and assuming all is well, perhaps I can convince you to reconsider. 

Life is hectic, I totally get it, but your health and well-being should be at the top when it comes to your list of priorities. If you choose not to be proactive when it comes to your health, an unforeseen problem could prevent you from being able to perform at your best. By pushing off important exams that should take place on an annual/bi-annual basis with healthcare professionals like your primary care physician, your ophthalmologist, your OBGYN (females), your dermatologist, or your dental hygienist/dentist, you’re potentially putting yourself at risk of allowing the following conditions to develop and go undetected, as well as untreated: 

• a variety of cancers or autoimmune disorders 
• declination in your vision 
• concerning growths 
• gum disease & tooth decay or infection 

By committing to a reserved date on the calendar and adjusting your schedule around that time, your routine checkups are much less likely to require additional time off of work and away from family obligations. When you allow several years to go by without being seen, your healthcare needs are much more likely to be involved and warrant additional follow up appointments to get back on track.

Visiting your dental office at least twice a year is recommended to keep up to date on dental radiographs, an annual exam performed by your dentist, and a thorough dental prophylaxis [cleaning] with your dental hygienist. Tooth pain is no joke, and getting ahead of a problem before it becomes a painful one can be done by staying current. 

Are you fully aware of all of the services provided to you at your appointment with your dental office? If not, allow me to fill you in or refresh you. At Sala Family Dentistry, a patient of record returning for their 6-month visit receives the following care: 

• a verbal review and update of the patient’s health history 
• a reading and evaluation of their blood pressure (your oral health is linked to your overall systemic health) 
• dental radiographs (taken once every 12 months – more often, as needed or when a patient comes in with a specific area of concern) 
• a digital health scan to track changes and movement in a patient’s smile
• an evaluation performed to assess the current state of their gum health by collecting updated gum measurements 
• an oral cancer screening 
• a thorough dental cleaning including scaling, polishing, flossing, and topical placement of fluoride varnish for cavity prevention and desensitization 
• an exam with the doctor to determine whether or not the patient has any areas of concern that require treatment 

In addition to the routine services listed above, there are additional treatment modalities available at Sala Family Dentistry to meet more specific needs for each patient. These include, but are not limited to laser therapy, subgingival irrigation, direct placement of antibiotics in problematic gingival areas, and application of Silver Diamine Fluoride to arrest the beginning stages of a cavity. 

Unfortunately, often times conditions like cavities and gum disease aren’t symptomatic and the patient is unaware that one or even both are present. When seen by your dental healthcare professional team regularly, incipient tooth decay and the onset of gum disease can be detected and treated accordingly before becoming a larger, painful and more pressing matter. A tooth compromised by decay that is left untreated can turn into needing a crown, a root canal, or in a severe case, extraction. Gingivitis left undiagnosed and unaddressed may further develop into severe periodontal disease (gum disease), which may then require a lengthier, deeper cleaning called scaling and root planing. As a result, irreversible bone loss may also take place. 

As you can see, skipping out on making your dental appointment a priority can come with some pretty unforgiving, time consuming, and expensive repercussions. Showing up within the frequency recommended by your dental hygienist, be it every 3, 4 or 6 months does in fact hold a lot of value and will help you to maintain stability in your oral health. Your dental team is here to help inform, educate, and provide comprehensive care to you as if you were a member of our own family. So before you plan on skipping your next dental appointment, you might want to think twice. 

— Destinee Caves, BS, RDH