Most of us probably visit the doctor when we’re sick, but the occasional check-up to help prevent future illness can also be important.
Dr Conroy and Dr Tim Jones, a Hobart GP, both say the best way to make sure you're getting the right tests at the best time is to talk to your GP. Another check-up you should be getting regularly is dental. While, conventionally, dentists might recommend an annual check-up, says Dr Mikaela Chinotti from the Australian Dental Association, it really depends on the advice of your own dentist.Your dentist will look for signs of tooth decay, gum disease and even oral cancer by examining your head and neck area, looking at the soft tissue inside your mouth and then visually examining your teeth, she says.
“As a female GP, I do a lot of these and I certainly try to make it as natural and comfortable an examination as possible.”iStockFrom this age, you should start getting tested for type 2 diabetes roughly every three years. You'll also need to have a complete cardiovascular risk assessment. Dr Conroy says your GP will plug a bunch of details – your age, gender and whether you're a smoker or drinker – into a computer program, which will then calculate your likelihood of experiencing a "cardiovascular event" in the next five years.
Early treatment is the removal of a polyp via a colonoscopy, for example, as compared to a full bowel resection. Another disease doctors will start looking out for is osteoporosis, which is a condition in which bones thin and become more susceptible to fractures.