If you have pain or discomfort in your teeth, gums, mouth, tongue or jaw, the first thing you probably do is call your family dentist. The team at St. Jacobs Dental Care is carefully trained to assess the cause of these problems and find a treatment plan to correct the issue.

But did you know that most dental issues can be easily avoided through preventative dentistry? By visiting your family dentist twice a year and keeping up with a thorough, consistent home-based oral hygiene routine, you can prevent most common problems like cavities and gum disease before they even start to develop, or you can catch them and start treatment before the issue gets serious enough that it requires more invasive and expensive treatments.

Why preventative dentistry?

Your mouth is a perfect place for bacteria to grow because it’s dark and moist. Leaving bacteria to build and stick to your teeth and the surfaces in your mouth is the perfect scenario to encourage gum disease and cavities. By brushing and flossing regularly you can help prevent the accumulation of plaque that will lead to cavities and gum disease down the road.

While brushing and flossing is an important element of preventative dentistry, you’ll never be able to remove 100% of the bacteria in your mouth, and it’s still possible for problems to develop. This is why regular dental visits are so important.

When you visit your family dentist, not only will you get a thorough, professional cleaning that will remove plaque building and staining, but you are also getting an assessment by a group of highly trained professionals who can spot small problems in your mouth.

If left undiagnosed and untreated, these small problems can easily turn into serious health issues. Here are some examples of minor dental problems that fall into this category:

Gingivitis, or early-stage gum disease

If you’re experiencing red, puffy gums, you may have gingivitis. It’s important to visit your dentist to assess the extent of the gum disease and start treatment before it develops into the more serious periodontitis, which can potentially lead to tooth loss.

Decay that can lead to cavities

Your regular dental checkups will include an examination and x-rays which can alert the team at St. Jacobs Dental Care about decay or small cavities before they become extensive. Catching these early makes them far easier to treat.

Oral cancer

Dentists are also trained to look for early signs and symptoms of potentially life-threatening illnesses like mouth and neck cancers.

If it’s been a while since you visited your family dentist and you’re ready to get back on track, call our team to set up an appointment today.