Things Your Dentist Will Know By Looking At Your Teeth

A lot of people try to hide their poor oral care habits or daily habits from their dentists, but this is not easy to do. Dentists can tell a lot of things just by looking at a person's mouth, and it can be very hard to fool a dentist with certain things. In fact, here are several things your dentist will know just by looking at your teeth.

You do not floss

One of the questions your dentist might ask you at your visit is whether you floss on a regular basis. A lot of people will say that they do, yet their teeth and gums tell a different story. If you are the type of person that only flosses right before your dental visit, your dentist will know. When people fail to floss daily and only floss once in a great while, like right before visits, the dental floss will often make impressions in the person's gums that are very obvious to the dentist. These impressions resemble slices, in a sense, as the gums are not used to the floss and will end up getting small lacerations in them when a person only flosses once or twice a year.

You use your teeth for the wrong things

If you bite your nails or use your teeth for the wrong things on a regular basis, your dentist is likely to know when he or she looks at your teeth. People who bite their teeth or constantly use their teeth in the wrong ways tend to have a lot of wear on their teeth. People like this are more prone to having cracks in their teeth or chips, and there is usually so much wear on the teeth that a dentist can see it right away.

You have gingivitis

One other thing a dentist can tell just by looking at a person's mouth is whether they have gingivitis. Gingivitis is a form of gum disease, but it is just the first stage and is less severe than other stages. This disease will cause the gums to look differently than they should and can lead to bleeding of the gums very easily. Your dentist will see these signs when examining your mouth and will often know why you have this.

Many women end up with gingivitis during pregnancy, simply from the extreme change in hormones in the body. People with diabetes or other health problems can acquire this from their health issues. People also get this disease from having poor oral care habits.

If you have not visited a dentist in a long time and are worried you may have problems, you should face your fears and schedule an appointment today.