We get it. Going to the periodontist isn’t your favorite thing to do. Between balancing work, family, school and so on, making a periodontist appointment may be the last thing on your mind. You have to sit back in a chair with all of these foreign tools prodding your mouth, wait for the assistant to take her hands out of your mouth to answer a question and by the way, what does that tooth numbering system on the assistant’s computer even mean? At San Antonio Periodontics and Implants, we can promise that the benefits of our routine checkups far outweigh any concerns or hesitations for going in for a checkup. Your oral health is important to us, and we want to help you maintain a beautiful, healthy smile.
First things, first… you’ll save money in the long run. San Antonio Periodontics and Implants accepts most major dental insurance plans, which means you most likely qualify for a little to no copayment for a checkup and oral exam. If you don’t have dental insurance, we offer a variety of payment options so you can receive the specialty care you need. Maintaining your oral health now can prevent future issues that may require expensive procedures and surgeries that can add up to thousands of dollars.
In addition to saving money, routine checkups also can help prevent periodontal diseases. Periodontal disease, also known as gum disease, is a broad term for different diseases that affect the supporting structures of the teeth. Symptoms of gum disease include tender, swollen gums, bleeding gums, bad breath, receding gums, tooth sensitivity, painful chewing, and tooth loss. Tooth loss is caused by bacterial plaque that moves down from the tooth to your jawbone, loosening your teeth and causing them to eventually fall out. Ways to prevent plaque from building up are by brushing and flossing your teeth daily. Periodontal checkups are a great way to prevent gum disease and also let you and your periodontist know the status of your oral health. Your periodontist can provide a diagnosis and treatment options if necessary and assess your oral hygiene. Periodontal disease and tooth loss can become painful and expensive to recover from, so be proactive by setting an appointment for a comprehensive periodontal examination. If you have already been diagnosed with periodontal disease, contact San Antonio Periodontics and Implants today to prevent disease progression.
A routine checkup isn’t just tied to your oral health, but your overall health as well. It’s important to remember that your oral health is a part of your overall wellbeing, which is connected to other parts of your body. It has been proven that many oral health issues correlate with overall health issues while a healthy mouth correlates with a healthy body. Routine checkups are a great way to know what is also going on in other areas of your body. Many times, periodontists can detect other health problems at their early stages at these routine checkups. For example, anxiety can affect your oral health. Because stress and anxiety weaken the immune system, your gums can become more prone to infections and diseases. A routine checkup can determine the root cause of such health issues and lead to quicker solutions. Routine checkups are also useful to detect oral cancer. During most exams, periodontists conduct oral cancer screenings to detect lumps or changes in the jaw, neck, skin, throat or thyroid that could be an indication of cancer. Another disease that correlates with oral health is diabetes. Diabetes is a disease that weakens the immune system and reduces the body’s resistance to infection. Consequently, people with diabetes are more likely to have gum disease. This is the same situation with cardiovascular disease. Studies have shown that people with moderate to advanced gum disease have a greater prevalence of cardiovascular disease than people with good oral health. Risk factors such as smoking, alcoholism and poor diet are the same for both cardiovascular and gum disease. Though there is no direct evidence of one condition causing the other, a routine checkup can help a patient figure out if he or she might have other health issues. Routine checkups not only are good for teeth and gums, but even discovering chronic bad breath. Chronic bad breath can stem from incomplete protein breakdown in the body. For many people who are diagnosed with chronic bad breath, a continuous unpleasant taste or dry mouth, these issues may be symptoms of kidney disease. Routine checkups are also useful for detecting other medical conditions like anorexia, asthma, digestive disorders, drug abuse, high blood pressure, HIV, skin rashes, sleep disorders, teeth grinding and upper respiratory problems. It’s important to remember that simply going to a routine checkup at your periodontist’s office can prevent all these major health issues.
Who knew that a periodontal checkup could have so many benefits? From saving money to a great smile to even detecting diseases early on, checkups are completely worth the investment of time you take. Schedule an appointment today, so you can be on your way to brighter, healthier smile.
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