Many people out there avoid the dentist and the doctor at all costs unless they feel so sick that they absolutely have to go. This could be for a multitude of different reasons. Perhaps they are busy and do not have the time to take out of their schedule to go. They might be unsure about the use of the medical or dental supplies that are in the offices. Maybe a person only goes to a doctor or dentist when there is the pain that forces them to go.
The truth, though, is that it is important to go see your doctor and dental professional at regular intervals. It is important for you to have a regular visit to your doctor as it helps to keep your body working the way it should work. Below are just a few ways to keep your health in tip-top shape by seeing your medical professionals regularly.
How often do you need to see your medical professional?
Years ago, most doctors and dentists suggested that people get a check-up once a year. However, many medical professionals say that while you should still get your teeth examined and cleaned every six months to a year, it is actually more recommended now to have a health evaluation done just every five years unless there is an outstanding health issue that needs to be checked on more routinely.
What is the purpose of your health exams and dental exams?
When you go to the dentists every year for a routine cleaning and checkup, there will be several things that your dentist is going to look for. Aside from removing any plaque or build-up and making your teeth look pearly white cosmetically, the dentists also want to see you yearly in order to check for any gum diseases, gum damage, tooth decay, tooth enamel thinning, cavities, etc. It is important for them to check for this routinely and find them quickly so as to treat it before it gets too far and harder to treat.
Meanwhile, it is important to get your health taken care of on a regular basis so that your general practitioner can check for things like getting in early and detecting and preventing health issues from arising, identifying common factors that you may carry that could lead to a chronic disease, find or detect a disease that is not giving you any real symptoms, to learn better healthy behaviors that help you live a healthier life, to keep you up to date on vaccines, to have an open line of communication with your doctor about your mental health, and to have a good trusting relationship with your doctor.
Keep diseases and other health conditions from happening
When you get seen by a medical professional on a regular basis, whether it is your general practitioner or your dentist, the main goal that they are trying to help you achieve is to reduce your chances of suffering from a disease or condition that could have been prevented altogether. There are three ways in which they help prevent disease.
Primary prevention includes doing things like immunizations that completely prevent a disease from happening at all.
Secondary prevention will help your professional establish your risk level for carrying a disease. For example, they will check you for blood pressure issues, cholesterol, and cancer by taking your blood pressure and cholesterol levels and doing screenings for certain types of common cancers.
The third type of disease prevention your doctor will be able to do is diagnose you with a disease or condition and then help you come up with a plan of attack so as to manage the condition and keep it from worsening so you can live a life that is as healthy and normal as possible.
Other things you may have done during your visit
On top of the things listed above, you may also have some other things done when you are at your wellness visits, including screening tests for disease detection, immunizations, and booster shots, medication prescription issued, and counseling to talk through a physical or mental issue that you may be dealing with. They will also give you other advice that will keep you living a healthy lifestyle and extend your life for as many years as possible.
