Andrew Jacobs, General Manager
Many people think of dentistry as purely cosmetic, but oral health goes far beyond appearances. It's a vital part of your overall well-being. The condition of your teeth and gums can affect everything from your digestion to your heart health, and untreated dental issues can lead to serious complications throughout your entire body.
In today's discussion, I'll dive into why maintaining good oral health is so important, explore practical habits that can keep your teeth and gums strong, and address common questions that patients often have about their dental care. By understanding the connection between oral health and overall health, you'll see why regular checkups and proper daily care are truly essential.
Importance of Oral Health
Here at Sea Summit Dentistry, a lot of our patients walk through the door thinking that oral health is not generally important. This is a huge misconception. As stated earlier, many issues throughout your body can actually stem from poor oral health.
Issues like gum disease, infections, and bad breath can impact other parts of your body, including your heart, joints, and circulation. If you think about it, we are constantly swallowing and chewing, and all of the bacteria in your mouth can actually travel throughout your entire body. It's all one blood system as well, so if you have any sort of gum issues, that blood travels to the rest of your body as well, leading to inflammation throughout.
Healthy Dental Routine
One thing that Dr. Jacobs loves to recommend to all of his patients is a healthy dental routine. This includes brushing, flossing, and visiting your dentist for your regular cleanings. Beyond just the typical brushing and flossing, you need to make sure that you're doing it at night and not eating anything afterward.
The goal is to remove all of the food on and between your teeth and just under your gum line so that the bacteria in your mouth have nothing to eat. You'll notice if you do this, you'll no longer have morning breath. All of the bacteria and waste won't be sitting on your teeth for so long overnight, and you'll be a much healthier person.
Common Dental Issues
The most common types of dental issues that we see here at Sea Summit Dentistry include gum issues such as periodontal disease, cavities, bad breath, and toothaches. A lot of these issues can be prevented and relieved just by coming for your six-month dental checkup cleanings. However, your daily dental routine also plays a huge role, especially with gum disease. More people have gum disease than you might think. As stated earlier in a different segment of this video, when you have gum disease, that is an active infection in your gums. That blood supply is traveling all around your body through your heart and joints, wreaking havoc. You really need to go in for your checkup to get that gum disease fixed.
Dental Treatments at Sea Summit Dentistry
Here at Sea Summit Dentistry, Dr. Jacobs prides himself in being able to offer a wide variety of dental treatments. Honestly, we can do pretty much everything here. Whether it's fillings, crowns, extractions, root canals, implants, or dentures, the list goes on. If you need it, Dr. Jacobs can do it, including Invisalign and different orthodontic options that you might need. Truly, we can do it all.
New Patient Experience at Sea Summit Dentistry
If you decide to become a new patient here at Sea Summit Dentistry with Dr. Jacobs, you can expect a full new patient exam. This is often called a comprehensive oral evaluation, and there's a variety of parts to it, but it usually takes around 30 to 60 minutes of your time.
The steps we take here include the comprehensive oral evaluation, measurements on your gum pockets and health, and diagnosing all existing treatments you've had done at any other dental office. Dr. Jacobs also likes to do a standing cone beam X-ray, a very advanced three-dimensional X-ray that captures from your lower jaw up to your sinuses, giving us a good field of view for anything Dr. Jacobs can't see with his eyes.
After reviewing your cone beam three-dimensional X-ray, we follow up with the FMX, a full mouth X-ray, where we take individual X-rays of all the different areas of your mouth. Dr. Jacobs also takes intraoral photos, capturing photographs of your teeth so you can see exactly what he's talking about. It also helps us present treatment to you. If you might need a filling, that photographic evidence really helps people feel comfortable and confident with exactly what Dr. Jacobs is diagnosing.
Frequency of Dental Cleanings
How often you should come for your cleanings really depends on your oral health. Typically, we see two categories of people: those with and without any sort of gum health or gum disease issues.
A standard patient can come every 6 months if they don't have any history or lingering gum issues. That is called a prophylaxis cleaning, your standard every six-month clean.
However, as mentioned earlier, many people suffer from gum issues and need to come in every three months, making it four times a year to see their dentist. This is a cleaning, but more so, it is so your dental provider can monitor the stage of your gum issues.
Often, with periodontal disease, you get a lot of inflammation around your gums. If you ever bleed when you're flossing, there's a good chance you have periodontal disease. The biggest reason to see your dentist is so they can measure and monitor your gum loss and bone loss. Many people don't realize that if you have any stage of periodontal disease, the bone in your jaw actually starts to degrade over time, which you cannot naturally recover. Extremely important if you want to save your teeth and maintain good overall health, if you have any sort of periodontal disease, you need to come every 3 months.
Dental Insurance and Costs
If you're wondering what your dental insurance would cover for your standard checkup cleaning, it really depends on your specific plan. Often, here at Sea Summit Dentistry, if you have a PPO, you're pretty much covered. You will have no co-pay for a cleaning here, meaning your insurance will cover everything. That is not always the case. You need to check with your dental office's front office staff, who should be able to help you and lead you in the right direction. But typically, if you have a PPO, they should cover all of it, if not a large portion of your checkup.
If you're interested in being a patient here and getting your cleanings done at Sea Summit Dentistry, and you don't have a PPO, no worries. We have many patients here who have HMOs and they opt to sign up for our in-house insurance plan. It's a one-time annual fee, and you get all of your cleanings free, so you don't have to worry about paying every time you come for your dental fee. It's a really affordable option for many people.
Oral health is about much more than just a bright smile. It's truly a key component of your overall health and well-being. By practicing good daily habits, staying informed, and keeping up with your regular dental checkups and cleanings, you can protect your teeth and gums while supporting your body's overall health. Remember, understanding the connection between oral care and total wellness empowers you to make the right choices that keep your smile and your body healthy for years to come.
Your dental health matters to us, and we’re here to support you every step of the way. If you’re looking for expert dental care near San Clemente, CA, call (949) 787-3378 or email [email protected] to learn more. Ready to get started? Schedule your appointment below.