Our office will be closed from December 24th until Wednesday, January 6th. Happy Holidays!
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Our office will be closed from December 24th until Wednesday, January 6th. Happy Holidays!
If you’re overdue for a teeth cleaning and oral exam in Lenoir City, you may be wondering if you really need to see a dentist like Dr. Joseph Blalock every six months. Is it really that important to come to Lakeside Dental for preventive care?
The answer is, of course, “yes!” Preventive care is essential for a healthy mouth, and here are just a few reasons why it’s so important.
At your six-month cleaning and oral exam, your dental hygienist will scrape away plaque and tartar that you can’t safely remove on your own, eliminating much of the bacteria that can contribute to gum disease and tooth decay.
In addition, Dr. Blalock can look for early signs of cavities and gum disease, and recommend further preventive treatments and improved at-home oral care steps you can take to avoid these issues.
A teeth cleaning and an oral exam is much cheaper than a filling, a dental crown, or a root canal. If you don’t get regular cleanings and oral exams, you will have a higher risk of cavities and other oral health problems.
And, in the long run, the treatments required to repair your teeth and restore your smile will be much higher than the cost of regular dental cleanings and exams, even if you don’t have insurance.
If you do have dental insurance, preventive dental care is a no-brainer. This is because your insurance policy will almost always cover 100% of the cost of two teeth cleanings and oral exams per year, as well as a set of x-rays.
If you are not seeing Dr. Blalock or another dentist twice a year, you’re leaving some of your dental benefits on the table each year, and you won’t be making the most of your plan.
Beyond issues like gum disease and tooth decay, regular dental appointments let your dentist look for other serious oral health issues.
For example, Dr. Blalock will look for signs of oral cancer at each of your cleanings. Without routine cleanings and oral cancer exams, this type of cancer is often unnoticed until it has spread throughout the body.
Dentists can even detect signs of other health issues. Bad breath and bleeding gums, for example, could indicate diabetes. Seeing a dentist regularly can help with the early diagnosis of a number of health problems.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, seeing a dentist regularly ensures that you get peace of mind. You’ll know that you’re taking every step you can to preserve your oral health and keep your teeth and gums healthy. And, in the rare event that you need further treatment after your exam, you can schedule your next appointment right away at Lakeside Dental.
For all of the above reasons and quite a few more, regular teeth cleanings and oral exams are the best way to keep your smile healthy in Lenoir City. So don’t wait. Contact Lakeside Dental online or give us a call at 865-635-4999 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Joseph Blalock right away, and get the preventive care you need.
