Visiting The Dentist: Things You Should Bring Up

For some reason, many Americans view their oral health as being secondary to their overall health. Head to your local bookstore, and compare how many books you see on improving your body's health as compared to how many focus on your teeth. You'll be lucky if you can find any books on the latter! What this logical disconnect misses, of course, is that the care of your teeth and gums plays heavily into your overall health care. Any dentist will tell you that patients who have advanced gum disease often have health problems that extend beyond the mouth. The next time you're at a dental appointment, there are several issues about which you might inquire in order to help you make better decisions about your oral health. - Avoiding Future Problems One of the most important things to consider when visiting the dentist is what you can do to avoid problems down the road. Don't underestimate the fountain of wisdom and experience at your disposal. While reading lists from the ADA and remembering childhood lessons about brushing and flossing is all well and good, you could be missing out on some other important tips. Take advantage of your dentist's wisdom and ask what steps you can take to make sure you aren't losing your teeth and dealing with cavities galore in a few years. - Your Diet People usually think about their diets in conjunction with their heart health or their weight. They rarely consider what it is doing to their teeth. Thankfully, the same foods that have an adverse effect on your teeth are usually the ones that have an adverse effect on your waistline. But there are some exceptions. On the other hand, there are some foods you may not have considered implementing into your diet that can have enormous benefits to your teeth and gums. Ask your dentist about your diet and what changes you can make for the better. - Your Health It's important to be open about anything else going on with your health. This information can help in a couple of ways. One, it can alert him to any medications or procedures that you should avoid, as they might conflict with medications you're already taking or conditions you're dealing with. Two, sometimes health problems throughout the body can be traced back to issues with the teeth and gums. If your dentist knows something is going on, it might inspire him to take a closer look for infections or bacterial buildup that could be contributing to these auxiliary problems.