The most common advice a person would hear for proper dental healthcare would be:

  • Brush twice daily
  • Floss after every meal
  • Use mouthwash before and after bed
  • Try not to eat too many sweets

But what about when these measures fail? With the hustle and bustle of life, many don’t have the time to ensure they are following their dentist’s instructions and while that is okay, too dramatic the slack can lead to harmful consequences. In a chain reaction, improper dental care can lead to consequences such as:

  • Loss of teeth
  • Headaches
  • Fever

and many scientists have even linked bad dental care as a cause to:

  • Stroke
  • Heart disease
  • Problems with pregnancy
  • And even diabetes!

The way this works is that without proper cleaning of the teeth, bacteria can grow and extend toward the gums. This can cause the gums to become infected and inflamed. An extremely painful feeling, muscles in the face will unintentionally tense which can cause severe headaches. As the bacteria spreads further to other parts of the body, the body temperature will rise resulting in fever.

Painful, but easily preventable with the tips from your dentist, these are all symptoms that if treated soon enough can be successful in the home. It is important to remember though that sometimes the just brushing and flossing are not enough.  The only way to ensure maximum health would be to make a trip to your dentist at least once every six months for a routine cleaning and checkup. Even with following their advice there are things that your dentist can do for you that you cannot do for yourself. Such as:

  • Performing cleanings to remove hard to break plaque
  • Extractions
  • And restorations of teeth that would be missing, cracked or chipped.

Actions such as extractions are often inevitable. Rather than infection, sometime your mouth is simply too overcrowded with teeth leaving a tooth unable to break through the gum. The extraction of wisdom teeth is a great example of this. Sometimes the mouth is overcrowded, others the wisdom teeth will protrude at an angle and pushing against other teeth. No matter what you do, there is only so much that can be done at home.

Remember that it’s not just your teeth at stake when you neglect your mouth. There are many possible consequences of irregular dental care. If you haven’t been to the dentist in over 6 months or are experiencing pain that you think is related to your dental hygiene, be sure to contact your local Chesterfield dentist soon for a checkup and cleaning. Those at Chesterfield Family Dentistry would be more than happy to have you smiling again. Follow us on twitter.