A Healthy Body Starts With a Healthy Mouth

Your smile and the appearance of your teeth are an important part to making a good first impression. After all, your smile is the first thing people see. What most people do not know is that your oral health is also a very important part of your general health. Your oral health can also be a good indicator of other health issues throughout your body. Grinding and clenching your teeth at night can be an indication of temporomandibular joint disorder and can cause fatigue, make you irritable, and cause a variety of other health problems. It is the job of your general dentist to help you achieve and maintain optimum oral health.

General dentistry involves the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of different problems affecting the teeth and gums. The American Dental Association recommends visiting your general dentist at least once every six months. Making this small effort can prevent the need for problems to escalate, causing the need for costly treatment. If you visit your dentist regularly, you can maintain optimal oral health.

Cavities

A cavity is caused when a tooth decays or breaks down. A cavity is a hole, or holes, in the tooth, that can become deeper and bigger over time. Your mouth produces acids and when this plaque clings to the tooth, these acids eat away at the enamel (the outermost layer of the tooth). Neglecting to go to the dentist causes these acids to delve deeper and the inside of your tooth begins to decay, causing a cavity. These cavities even have the ability to reach all the way inside the tooth to a nerve ending, often causing a very painful toothache. Visiting your general dentist regularly can prevent the development of cavities, however, if one does develop, and it is not treated, it can lead to a host of consequences, such as:

• Bone decay
• Severe pain
• Tooth loss
• Abscess in jaw
• Infection in mouth and possibly spread to other areas through the blood stream

What to Expect from a Visit to Your General Dentist

Setting up your first appointment with a general dentist is a very important part of maintaining your overall oral health. The general dentist is the creator and manager of the dental treatment plant. On your first visit, your general dentist will complete a dental examination. This examination allows the general dentist to identify all problems with your oral health that are capable of contributing to the overall deterioration of your oral health and also to develop a treatment plan aimed at optimum maintainability of your teeth and gums.

This initial examination can include the taking of some or all of the following:

• Individual x-rays
• X-ray of the temporomandibular joints
• Soft tissue examination
• Periodontal examination

Article Source: A Healthy Body Starts With a Healthy Mouth

If you would like to learn more about the importance of general dentistry, please visit the website of the Coleman Center for Cosmetic Dentistry today.