Are your teeth important to you?
Sparkling clean teeth and a new toothbrush are no longer the only advantages to getting your dental check-up. Dentists can tell many things from just a simple check-up, including symptoms of many diseases such as diabetes and oral cancer.
Dentists can also detect how well you take care of your teeth and if you have a healthy diet. One thing college students are not known for is their healthy eating habits and with mom no longer nagging you to schedule your six month check up it may have descended quite a bit on your priority list.
However, with most college students addicted to energy drinks and fast food these years may be the most important to schedule that appointment and get some advice on ways to improve these bad habits.
Not convinced the dentist is worth your time? You may want to ask yourself why that is. Personally my least favorite part of the dentist is the flossing. This dreaded act is usually preceded by the question, “So, How often do you floss?” To which I respond, “Well, I do it occasionally.” Of course by that I mean that rare occurrence when you get some popcorn stuck in your tooth or maybe if you’re out of ways to procrastinate on your essay and you have already alphabetized your books and color-coded your closet.
In the end if you brush and floss regularly the dentist won’t be nearly as awful and it could prevent periodontal disease or tooth decay which cost a lot of money to amend. As my dentist always says, “floss the teeth you want to keep.”
“Many college students forced by their parents to visit the dentist over Christmas or summer break, are shocked to be diagnosed with cavaties. The combination of less frequent dental visits, combined with poor food and beverage choices and inconsistent brushing and flossing, can lead to expensive and uncomfortable appointments with the dentist. Prevention is easier and cheaper than restoration.” said Susan Radford, a registered dental assistant.
Shockingly, energy drinks, sodas and ramen are not only detrimental to your health but also your teeth. Bacteria in your mouth convert sugar to acid, which in turn erodes your enamel causing cavities. Realistically, you probably aren’t going to just stop drinking those super addictive red bulls, however, there are many things that you can do to at least delay the process.
First and foremost never drink a sugary drink by itself always pair it with a snack. Another tip is to brush your teeth after you eat or drink something sweet.
As soon as the sugar enters your mouth and turns to acid it spends the next 20 minutes attacking your teeth hoping to encroach on the nerve and blood supply of the tooth resulting in a painful tooth ache (dentistry.com). The sooner you brush your teeth the less time it has to do so.
Cancer, diabetes and heart disease are all very prevalent, very serious diseases in the world today. These diseases are systemic which if you are in biology you know all about.
Basically they enter your blood stream and travel all around your body. Manifestations can be found in many places, your mouth being one of them. Some examples of these manifestations are swollen gums, mouth ulcers, dry mouth and excessive gum problems.
You may think these things could never happen to you but contrary to what most college students believe you aren’t invincible.
Although there is not a dentist on campus there are quite a few close to school. The Student Health Center suggests calling your insurance provider and finding out which dentists are covered and which are not. We all like our teeth right? Can’t you dedicate an hour every 6 months to what 83% of people believe are more important to their appearance than hair and eyes.
