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There’s a lot of things that we know we should be doing but tend to sweep under the rug sometimes. Getting your car serviced, cleaning behind your fridge and annual dental health check-ups are only a few of them. However, ignoring the latter of those three and skipping your annual health check-ups can actually have pretty serious consequences on your long-term health and create messes that will be harder to clean up in the future.
This is your sign to make a call to your general practitioner’s office and book an appointment with a good dentist like Division Street Dental, to make sure that everything is in check.
Here are five reasons why you shouldn’t be skipping these annual appointments:
They’re Preventative
Regular medical check-ups involve various different physical examinations, checking in on your heart, lungs, eyes, ears, and nose, skin, and other bits and bobs too. Your general practitioner will typically scan you over from head to toe to make sure that your health is where it should be in all aspects. If you’re a former patient, they will most likely check in with any previous health issues and follow up with anything that might need specific checking. In this way, these appointments allow for you and your doctor to identify any issues that you might not have physically noticed yet, which makes for early diagnoses and can help you avoid getting sick.
They Can Reduce Your Medical Bills
This might sound counter-intuitive, because how can an annual doctor’s visit possibly save you money? This ties into the previous reason – regular check-ups will help you to prevent and quickly identify diseases to minimize the need for treatment. In this way, you can reduce your risk of needing serious medical intervention or chronic medications, which could potentially save you money in the long term. Any serious diagnoses will also be made early on, giving you some time to make financial plans for any treatments you might need ahead of time. Your future self will thank you!
You’ll Be More Motivated
No, annual check-ups aren’t going to inspire you to be a good employee. However, these appointments in your calendar might motivate you to take better care of yourself throughout the year. Living a healthy lifestyle means eating a balanced diet, avoiding heavily processed foods and sugar, getting in some regular exercise, drinking your water, and prioritizing good sleep hygiene. Having these items checked on your to-do list will play a major role in your overall health and contribute to the prevention of various diseases. Knowing that you’re going to be checked up on once a year can inspire you to keep those good habits going, and you’ll be even more inspired to keep going once you hear the positive feedback that your heard work has kept you in good health.
You’ll Form a Good Relationship With Your Doctor
Doctor-patient relationships are important for various reasons. You need to feel comfortable discussing anything and everything about your physical and mental health with them, and while you should do this regardless of your relationship, it’s always a little easier when you know them better and has a good history with them. Visiting the doctor regularly will also give you the opportunity to find a general practitioner that you really like, and yes, you can be picky about this! Everyone is different and sometimes we just don’t gel well with someone. That is totally normal and fine, and every patient has the right to seek out a different doctor who suits their needs best.
You’ll Get Recommendations
On top of these general appointments, your doctor might recommend that you schedule regular cancer screenings and checks for cholesterol, blood sugar levels, pap smears for women, and prostate exams for men. Following your doctor’s recommendations and taking care of all aspects of your health will help you to ensure that you live a long, healthy, and happy life, without the worry that there might be something wrong that you’re not aware of.
The Takeaway
Regularly visiting your doctor and dentist will have so many benefits on your health. Scheduling in your annual check-ups for physical exams will help you prevent and identify diseases early on, save you money, motivate you to improve your long-term health, and improve your relationship with your health practitioner. Be sure to always take your doctor and dentist’s advice and recommendations, to ensure that you’re taking all possible precautions and placing your health as a top priority in your life.
