How Dental Appointments Can Help Avoid Other Health Issues
As you’ve probably heard it is important that you regularly visit your dentist, and should ideally have an appointment every six months. Unfortunately many people often take this commitment lightly, and that can have a lot of consequences that extend beyond your dental health.
It has been proven that your dental health affects far more than just your teeth and gums, and has a profound impact on your overall health. As such dental appointments could help you to avoid other health issues – some of which are really very serious:
- Heart disease
Gum disease and heart disease are known to be linked, which is why dental appointments can help you to avoid the latter. If your gums are infected it is likely that your blood vessels will thicken and their passage will narrow – which in turn can increase your risk of heart disease.
When you go for your dental appointment, your dentist will be able to spot any signs of gum disease early and treat it – so your risk of heart disease is lower.
- Diabetes
Another condition that is tied to your oral health is diabetes, and the condition of your gums and teeth can help your dentist to spot diabetes early. If you do have a gum disease your body will find it more difficult to control your diabetes and conversely the diabetes itself will increase the likelihood that you develop gum disease.
Not only can a dentist help identify this problem, but with regular cleanings they can help stop it from getting worse. Some dentists may even recommend coming in for cleanings three or four times a year to help control your diabetes better and avoid further complications from developing because of it.
- Nutritional deficiencies
Several types of nutritional deficiencies can be identified based on your oral health, including iron, calcium, and more. Considering the vitamins and minerals you consume affects your overall health in more ways than one, being able to identify deficiencies early can help on several fronts.
If you are able to identify a nutritional deficiency, you can then take steps to correct it – either by improving your diet or taking the necessary supplements.
Aside from the conditions listed above there are other ways that dental appointments can help your overall health, such as by spotting any signs of oral cancer. For any of these conditions, identifying the problem early and getting treatment can help to avoid further issues from developing – and is going to be a lot cheaper too.
All in all you should be starting to see why visiting your Harley Street dentist at least once every six months is so important. In the scheme of things it is a small commitment, but its impact on your health and wellbeing could be large. Keep that in mind if you are ever tempted to skip an appointment or postpone it to a later date, as it is more than just your dental health that is at stake.