{"id":417,"date":"2020-06-11T23:46:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-11T23:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/?p=417"},"modified":"2020-07-01T23:46:58","modified_gmt":"2020-07-01T23:46:58","slug":"why-you-shouldnt-wait-to-see-the-dentist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/why-you-shouldnt-wait-to-see-the-dentist\/","title":{"rendered":"Why You Shouldn\u2019t Wait to See the Dentist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/D2122B1C-7F9D-475A-AB20-8563B9F4CBB6-1024x684.jpeg\" alt=\"Man visiting dentist near Monroe\" class=\"wp-image-418\" width=\"251\" height=\"167\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/D2122B1C-7F9D-475A-AB20-8563B9F4CBB6-1024x684.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/D2122B1C-7F9D-475A-AB20-8563B9F4CBB6-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/D2122B1C-7F9D-475A-AB20-8563B9F4CBB6-768x513.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/D2122B1C-7F9D-475A-AB20-8563B9F4CBB6.jpeg 1073w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 251px) 100vw, 251px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Skipping your dentist appointment may not seem like an issue at first. After all, you don\u2019t feel any pain or discomfort. There\u2019s nothing wrong with your teeth. Why should you spend time at the dental office? Many adults avoid going to the dentist because of a variety of reasons including inconvenience, forgetfulness, fear, or embarrassment. The truth is that if you don\u2019t have regular checkups or cleaning, any small issues you have could turn serious and even become a dental emergency. Read on to learn what your&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/preventive-dentistry.html\">dentist near Monroe<\/a>says can happen if you avoid your dental visits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Plaque and Tartar Buildup<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your at-home oral hygiene routine helps to remove plaque from your teeth. However, often times plaque gets left behind in hard to reach places. If it is not thoroughly cleaned by a dentist or hygienist, plaque can build up and become tartar, which is extremely difficult to remove on your own. This can cause unsightly stains on your teeth, tooth decay, gum disease, and contributes to bad breath. Even if you are a diligent brusher, there will always be some plaque that gets left behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tooth Decay and Cavities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The build-up of plaque and tartar will eventually lead to tooth decay and cavities if it is not treated by a dentist. Even though smaller cavities can be filled, larger untreated ones may result in dental crowns and even root canals. An easy fix could turn into something more serious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Gum Disease<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gum disease is something your dentist always checks for when you go in for your regular cleanings. If it is caught early on, it can be reversed. However, if it\u2019s left untreated, you could end up with periodontitis which can cause jawbone deterioration and tooth loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tooth Loss<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This can result from untreated tooth decay or advanced gum disease. Both of these can be treated in the early stages by your dentist to prevent further issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Infections<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The longer you leave an abscess without treatment, the more it can spread and become a serious infection. This can lead to intense pain, discomfort, and other oral health concerns. Ultimately, it will become a dental emergency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Risk of Serious Diseases<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When you go to your dental appointment, your dentist checks for signs of oral cancer. When it is caught early, you have a much likelier chance of being able to defeat it. Your oral health is also closely linked to the overall health of your body. A few major health conditions that can be linked to your oral health include diabetes, stroke, heart disease, and breast cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even during a time like the COVID-19 pandemic, you should not put your oral health on hold. Doing so could lead to a number of serious issues. Your dentist is taking a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/covid-19-update.html\">variety of steps<\/a>&nbsp;to ensure that his patients are being treated in a clean, safe environment.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Author<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/meet-the-dentist.html\">Dr. L. King Scott<\/a>&nbsp;is a family dentist located in West Monroe, LA. He has over 39 years of experience and thousands of hours of post-graduate education. Recently, Dr. Scott received the Academy of General Dentistry highest honor, the Lifelong Service and Recognition Award. It\u2019s awarded to outstanding clinicians who have proven their excellence clinically and academically. For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit his&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/contact-us.html\">website<\/a>&nbsp;or call (318) 325-4600.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Skipping your dentist appointment may not seem like an issue at first. After all, you don\u2019t feel any pain or discomfort. There\u2019s nothing wrong with your teeth. Why should you spend time at the dental office? Many adults avoid going to the dentist because of a variety of reasons including inconvenience, forgetfulness, fear, or embarrassment. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why You Shouldn&#039;t Wait West Monroe | L. King Scott DDS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Many people are tempted to put off dental appointments for a later date. However, this can be damaging for your health. Your dentist near Monroe shares why.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/why-you-shouldnt-wait-to-see-the-dentist\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why You Shouldn&#039;t Wait West Monroe | L. King Scott DDS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Many people are tempted to put off dental appointments for a later date. However, this can be damaging for your health. Your dentist near Monroe shares why.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/why-you-shouldnt-wait-to-see-the-dentist\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Dr. King Scott&#039;s Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-06-11T23:46:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-07-01T23:46:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/D2122B1C-7F9D-475A-AB20-8563B9F4CBB6-1024x684.jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"kingscott\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"kingscott\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.drkingscott.com\\\/blog\\\/why-you-shouldnt-wait-to-see-the-dentist\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.drkingscott.com\\\/blog\\\/why-you-shouldnt-wait-to-see-the-dentist\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"kingscott\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.drkingscott.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7d01827443aacf0104f1a130ca86d5d7\"},\"headline\":\"Why You Shouldn\u2019t Wait to See the Dentist\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-06-11T23:46:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-07-01T23:46:58+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.drkingscott.com\\\/blog\\\/why-you-shouldnt-wait-to-see-the-dentist\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":570,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.drkingscott.com\\\/blog\\\/why-you-shouldnt-wait-to-see-the-dentist\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.drkingscott.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/D2122B1C-7F9D-475A-AB20-8563B9F4CBB6-1024x684.jpeg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.drkingscott.com\\\/blog\\\/why-you-shouldnt-wait-to-see-the-dentist\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.drkingscott.com\\\/blog\\\/why-you-shouldnt-wait-to-see-the-dentist\\\/\",\"name\":\"Why You Shouldn't Wait West Monroe | L. King Scott DDS\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.drkingscott.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.drkingscott.com\\\/blog\\\/why-you-shouldnt-wait-to-see-the-dentist\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.drkingscott.com\\\/blog\\\/why-you-shouldnt-wait-to-see-the-dentist\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.drkingscott.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/D2122B1C-7F9D-475A-AB20-8563B9F4CBB6-1024x684.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-06-11T23:46:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-07-01T23:46:58+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.drkingscott.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7d01827443aacf0104f1a130ca86d5d7\"},\"description\":\"Many people are tempted to put off dental appointments for a later date. However, this can be damaging for your health. Your dentist near Monroe shares why.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.drkingscott.com\\\/blog\\\/why-you-shouldnt-wait-to-see-the-dentist\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.drkingscott.com\\\/blog\\\/why-you-shouldnt-wait-to-see-the-dentist\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.drkingscott.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/D2122B1C-7F9D-475A-AB20-8563B9F4CBB6-1024x684.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.drkingscott.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/D2122B1C-7F9D-475A-AB20-8563B9F4CBB6-1024x684.jpeg\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.drkingscott.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.drkingscott.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Dr. King Scott&#039;s Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.drkingscott.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.drkingscott.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7d01827443aacf0104f1a130ca86d5d7\",\"name\":\"kingscott\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/78cdaa0bb2098a41b8a08e14a5dee404ab69a3798b50c5a3a22292226b07c8b8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/78cdaa0bb2098a41b8a08e14a5dee404ab69a3798b50c5a3a22292226b07c8b8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/78cdaa0bb2098a41b8a08e14a5dee404ab69a3798b50c5a3a22292226b07c8b8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"kingscott\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.drkingscott.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/kingscott\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why You Shouldn't Wait West Monroe | L. King Scott DDS","description":"Many people are tempted to put off dental appointments for a later date. However, this can be damaging for your health. Your dentist near Monroe shares why.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/why-you-shouldnt-wait-to-see-the-dentist\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why You Shouldn't Wait West Monroe | L. King Scott DDS","og_description":"Many people are tempted to put off dental appointments for a later date. However, this can be damaging for your health. Your dentist near Monroe shares why.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/why-you-shouldnt-wait-to-see-the-dentist\/","og_site_name":"Dr. King Scott&#039;s Blog","article_published_time":"2020-06-11T23:46:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-07-01T23:46:58+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/D2122B1C-7F9D-475A-AB20-8563B9F4CBB6-1024x684.jpeg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"kingscott","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"kingscott","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/why-you-shouldnt-wait-to-see-the-dentist\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/why-you-shouldnt-wait-to-see-the-dentist\/"},"author":{"name":"kingscott","@id":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/7d01827443aacf0104f1a130ca86d5d7"},"headline":"Why You Shouldn\u2019t Wait to See the Dentist","datePublished":"2020-06-11T23:46:00+00:00","dateModified":"2020-07-01T23:46:58+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/why-you-shouldnt-wait-to-see-the-dentist\/"},"wordCount":570,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/why-you-shouldnt-wait-to-see-the-dentist\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/D2122B1C-7F9D-475A-AB20-8563B9F4CBB6-1024x684.jpeg","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/why-you-shouldnt-wait-to-see-the-dentist\/","url":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/why-you-shouldnt-wait-to-see-the-dentist\/","name":"Why You Shouldn't Wait West Monroe | L. King Scott DDS","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/why-you-shouldnt-wait-to-see-the-dentist\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/why-you-shouldnt-wait-to-see-the-dentist\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/D2122B1C-7F9D-475A-AB20-8563B9F4CBB6-1024x684.jpeg","datePublished":"2020-06-11T23:46:00+00:00","dateModified":"2020-07-01T23:46:58+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/7d01827443aacf0104f1a130ca86d5d7"},"description":"Many people are tempted to put off dental appointments for a later date. However, this can be damaging for your health. Your dentist near Monroe shares why.","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/why-you-shouldnt-wait-to-see-the-dentist\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/why-you-shouldnt-wait-to-see-the-dentist\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/D2122B1C-7F9D-475A-AB20-8563B9F4CBB6-1024x684.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/D2122B1C-7F9D-475A-AB20-8563B9F4CBB6-1024x684.jpeg"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/","name":"Dr. King Scott&#039;s Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/7d01827443aacf0104f1a130ca86d5d7","name":"kingscott","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/78cdaa0bb2098a41b8a08e14a5dee404ab69a3798b50c5a3a22292226b07c8b8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/78cdaa0bb2098a41b8a08e14a5dee404ab69a3798b50c5a3a22292226b07c8b8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/78cdaa0bb2098a41b8a08e14a5dee404ab69a3798b50c5a3a22292226b07c8b8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"kingscott"},"url":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/author\/kingscott\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=417"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":419,"href":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417\/revisions\/419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drkingscott.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}