Attention Men: Why Are You Avoiding Your Dentist?

The benefits of regular dental exams and cleanings are applicable to everyone from women and men to children. Yet, according to research, American women are ⅓ more likely to get preventive dental care than men. At our dental offices in Middletown, Kettering, and West Chester, we wanted to know more about our male patients, and even those who we may not yet have the pleasure of knowing, so we explored a few reasons why men seem to avoid going to the dentist.

The Academy of General Dentistry surveyed several dentists and asked them why men tend to forego regular dental visits. The results include:

• 18% blamed busy schedules
• 30% said men are more embarrassed or afraid to go to the dentist
• 45% believed men don’t see a need to visit the dentist

We found a few other reasons, too. Men tend to avoid preventive dental care and rather just go to the dentist when there is a problem, even though the problem itself may have been avoidable through regular dental cleanings and exams. Additionally, societal norms insinuate that men should “tough it out,” and visiting a doctor may be perceived as a sign of weakness (which, for the record, isn’t a weakness, it’s smart).

Why Are Regular Dental Appointments Important?

Visiting the dentist at least twice a year is crucial to maintaining a healthy mouth and a healthy body. Many oral health problems affect overall health, and if not caught and treated early, some of these issues can be severe. Scheduling and keeping appointments with your dentist can help keep these serious, scary problems away or at least catch them before they have a chance to affect the rest of the body. Some of these concerns include:

• Oral cancer that can affect the lips, tongue, throat, and cheeks
• Gum disease which can increase the risk for heart disease
• Sleep apnea which commonly leads to high blood pressure

Besides keeping your mouth and body healthy, dental appointments can also be used to discuss anything about your smile that you may not like. If you’re embarrassed to smile or are missing teeth, there are plenty of options available to get you a smile you’re confident of including whitening, veneers, dental implants, bridges, and so much more.

If you know a man in your life who has been avoiding dental care for whatever reason, we encourage you to to have him call our Middletown, Kettering, or West Chester dental office to schedule an appointment. Even if he hasn’t seen a dentist in years, we don’t guilt trip our patients. In fact, we celebrate the important things — the fact he made an appointment and is taking the right steps towards better health.

Accepting patients from Middletown, Kettering, West Chester.