You were taught that brushing your teeth regularly and flossing at least once a day, along with avoiding sweet treats and eating healthier foods, and avoiding bad habits such as smoking, is the best way to keep oral diseases at bay. Although they are true, these practices are not all that you need. To keep your teeth and gums healthy you also need to seek professional help. It is a practice of many to only seek professional help when they are in pain and needs to be treated from their oral disease. The public should be made aware of the importance of going to the dentist to prevent oral disease. People should go to their dentist at least once a year for oral examinations and also once for professional teeth cleaning.

It is very important to undergo oral examinations at least once a year to check the status of your dental health. During this examination, your dentist checks the physical structures of your teeth for the presence of plaque accumulation, dental cavities, gum problems and if you have dental fillings, they are checked if they intact or broken. Also, your dentist will have to check for presence of impacted tooth, which is true in some cases of wisdom teeth, and order an additional test such as dental x-ray to see the tooth’s condition below the gum line. In older children and young adults, the dentist also checks their bite to rule out malocclusion; if it is present proper referral to a bite specialist is done. For people with high-risk for oral cancer, this examination is very essential in detecting indicative signs such as lesions and tumors in the oral cavity.

It is also important to visit your dentist for professional teeth cleaning. Tooth brushing and flossing cannot remove all plaque present in teeth, especially if they have calcified. Professional teeth cleaning, also known as prophylaxis cleans your teeth and makes its surfaces smooth – a smooth surface disables the bacteria to attach into the teeth. Also during your dental visits, dental fluoride treatment is performed to keep your teeth’s enamel strong and cavity free.

Always remember that you and your dentist are partners in keeping your teeth and gums healthy and strong. You alone cannot prevent oral disease from happening. Always remember to visit your dentist at least once a year either for an oral examination or a teeth cleaning.