Your Dental Exam Tells your Dentist a Lot!
Routine dental care can feel so, well, routine, that it almost feels unnecessary. To postpone your exam and cleaning visits would be a mistake, though. There is immense value in regular visits with our San Ramon family dentists. Not only does your dentist work hard to identify and help you avoid risks for cavities and other dental problems, but there are also hidden facts about your habits and your health that could be lurking in your mouth. Here, we will take a look at some of the revealing facts that could come to light during a dental exam.
Your commitment to oral care is lacking.
Where most people go wrong with their oral care is in the flossing department. The task takes only a couple of minutes, but somehow it gets overlooked. To make up for a lack of flossing commitment, what many people do is floss either the morning of or the night before their exam. What this does is reveal marks from the floss. What it doesn't do is hide the inflammation and plaque that have been building up for the past several months.
You may need to trade your soda for water.
You might not imagine that your dentist could be clued into what you are drinking by looking around your mouth, but this could be very true. One of the problems that dentists have noticed in people who drink a lot of soda, or sports drinks for that matter, is the excessive wearing of enamel. This is referred to as erosion, a problem that stems from frequent contact with acidic ingredients used in carbonated beverages and sports drinks.
You may need some stress management.
Stress is not something we can avoid, but it is something that we must learn to manage. When looking in the mouth, your dentist could see that your body is "working through" stress through teeth-grinding or jaw-clenching. This symptom of stress is referred to as bruxism. When it occurs routinely, this habit could wear down teeth, crack or break them, or cause the TMJ to become dysfunctional and uncomfortable.
Your dentist is trained to recognize oral disease and more, adding value to your general health and wellness.
Is it time for a checkup and cleaning? Call Innovative Dental Concepts at (925) 362-8209.