Dental and Vision Health
Keeping your teeth and eyes healthy is more important than you may realize.
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Keeping your teeth and eyes healthy is more important than you may realize.
Most people know the importance of seeing their family doctor each year, but many neglect going to the dentist or eye doctor — and it can be risky. Routine dental and vision exams are vital to total health and can be early detectors for serious diseases.
But many of us don’t get the care we need. In fact, 47% of adults haven’t been to the dentist in the past year,2 and only half of the 93 million adults at risk for blindness have seen an eye doctor in past year.3
You may be struggling to see and not even realize it. The Mayo Clinic suggests that adults who don’t wear glasses should see a doctor when they turn 40 because that’s when vision starts to change, and it can help detect early diseases.4
Even if you don’t wear glasses, there are many times throughout life when your vision should be checked: 4
Your eye doctor can recommend how often you need to have your vision checked based on your family and health history.
Yes. In fact, diabetes is the leading cause of blindness of adults in America.5
And blindness from diabetes, also known as diabetic retinopathy, is predicted to increase by 50% by 2030 due to many more people developing the disease.6
Not everyone is impacted equally. Minorities are at a higher risk of going blind from diabetes, and it can be difficult in the early stages to detect potential blindness without an annual eye exam.6
If you have diabetes or are at-risk of developing diabetes, here are some tips to keep your eyes healthy:7
It’s important to see the dentist at least once a year.8
That’s because regular visits to the dentist keep your smile bright and dentists can also see if there are other health issues.
Dentists can detect larger health issues, like bone disease, heart problems, digestion issues and stress.1 In fact, your dentist can see up to 90% of systemic diseases in your mouth.9
Over 53 million Americans live with untreated tooth decay, but routine dental visits can prevent this.10
Poor oral health and tooth decay can cause: 11
It’s especially important for minorities to go to the dentists, since Black and Hispanic adults are 2x more likely to have untreated oral health issues than their white counterparts.12
In addition to going to the dentist twice a year, here are some other tips to keep your smile bright and healthy:
We want to make it as easy for you to get the regular and preventive screenings you need to stay healthy and happy.
Don’t delay. Schedule a screening with your doctor today. Log in at Find a Doctor or call 1-800-352-2583 to learn more about your benefits.
Together, we can achieve better health.
1University of Chicago College of Dentistry. “What Can My Dentist Tell Me About My Overall Health?”
2Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Oral and Dental Health”
3Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Keep an Eye on Your Vision Health”
4Mayo Clinic. “Eye Exam.”
5Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Basics of Vision and Eye Health”
6National Library of Medicine. “The worldwide epidemic of diabetic retinopathy.”
7Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Diabetes and Vision Loss.”
8Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Oral Health Tips.”
9Academy of General Dentistry. “Importance of Oral Health to Overall Health.”
10National Library of Medicine. “Oral Health: The Silent Epidemic”
11Mayo Clinic. “Oral health: A window to your overall health.”
12Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Disparities in Oral Health.”
13Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “About Fluoride.”
14American Dental Association. “Top 9 Foods That Damage Your Teeth.”
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