Dental clinic :Make a regular visit to the dentist

A dentist examines a patient’s teeth. Many diseases can be detected through a dental exam. file photo

How often do you visit a dentist for routine check-up without having any oral health problem? From experience, most people only go to the dentist after when they are in pain. This is dangerous because some of the conditions that people come to treat can be easily prevented or treated before they pose a big health risk.
It is through such visits that a dentist observes your overall dental health, including whether or not you may be at risk of developing diseases such as diabetes.
The state of your dental health usually gives an accurate indication of your overall health, with good oral health indicating good health. On the other hand, if you suffer some dental diseases, it is likely that you could be having other predisposing conditions.

Prevention of gum diseases
There is a strong relationship between gum disease, stroke and heart-related complications. It is said that women who suffer from gum diseases during pregnancy have a higher risk of giving birth to premature and low birth weight babies. Research also shows about 90 per cent of all diseases involving most organs of our bodies have oral manifestations, including swollen gums, mouth ulcers and dry mouth. Such diseases include leukemia, oral and pancreatic cancers, heart and kidney diseases.

Effects
Dental diseases that are not treated in the early stages can lead to other health problems as outlined below.

Oral and facial pain
This kind of pain may be largely due to infection of the gums that support the teeth and can lead to tooth loss.

Poor digestion
Digestion begins with the physical and chemical processes in the mouth. Therefore, if you are unable to chew and process food easily in order to facilitate digestion, it can lead to intestinal failure and other digestive disorders.

The benefits
•Regular visits to the dentist keeps you free from gum diseases that could lead to decay.
•A dental examination helps detect poor nutrition and hygiene, growth and development problems and improper jaw alignment.
•Provide your dentist with a complete medical history, including any recent health conditions that may not be related to your oral health.
The writer is a dentist [email protected]