A regular dental checkup consists of two steps, first, checking up and then cleaning. During the process of it, a dentist would assess a patient’s oral health and recommend further treatments or medication as necessary. Dental checkups play a role as equally important as a full body checkup for our overall health. However, research shows that most people avoid dental checkups for a variety of reasons.
The basic principle is that an average person should go for a dental checkup at least every six months. However, most people tend to prolong them or entirely skip their dentist appointments for a variety of reasons such as the lack of pain in their teeth, dental anxiety, dental health not being a priority, lack of understanding about oral health, or in some cases, as patients say it, ‘no affordable dentist near me.’
It has become a common occurrence to regard the lack of pain in one’s teeth as an excuse to avoid dental checkups. This is one of the most imminent and common reasons today. However, research revealed that during most such instances dentists have discovered such patients to have long-term chronic oral diseases.
On the other hand, another reason is dental anxiety or the fear and deep perturbation that tends to get aroused or heightened at the sight of dental settings including dental tools such as drills or needles. This is one of the immediate reasons for a very large number of people to completely abandon dental checkups.
Moreover, the costs of dental checkups are another reason for avoiding dental clinics. It has been observed that due to the extravagant costs of dental checkups most people have resorted to skipping such checkups as means of saving money. This leaves them with a minor disease that has the potential to grow into something more serious over time.
Another reason for the lack in the number of patients who do frequent checks to the lack of knowledge about such checkups. Most people believe that medical health is more important compared to dental health.
As much as these reasons are quite concerning and might even be relatable there are many reasons why avoiding dental care for such reasons is highly unacceptable.
Firstly, detecting cavities earlier on is the best option available. With regular dental checkups, dentists can identify and treat cavities at their very primitive stages which makes it far less expensive to treat them when go on to become more complicated over a long period.
Secondly, regular dental checkups in the only possible way to detect oral cancer before it intensifies especially in patients who smoke or use tobacco.
Thirdly, a dentist could check on the status of fillings, if there are any, and review, one’s dental habits to encourage new habits if the necessity arises.
The aforementioned reasons are only a handful out of many others which makes dental visits an extremely crucial part of anyone’s overall health which makes it important to raise awareness.