Preventive Dentistry

PREVENTIVE DENTISTRY

Over the last 17 years, working in the dental field, it amazes me that people still do not understand the importance of preventive dentistry.

As an office manager, I speak to patients daily whether on the phone or in person. Every day I hear the same thing from our patients.

"I don’t have insurance and can’t afford to come into the office every six months."

My response to this is… If you came in to our office on a preventive basis, we can evaluate the health of your teeth and gum tissue. We can find decay before it destroys more tooth structure.

"I’m not going to schedule now, it doesn’t hurt."

My response to this is… It doesn’t hurt now and that is a good thing. The reason it doesn’t hurt now, is that the decay is only in the enamel, if not treated it will spread into a tooth structure called dentin. Dentin is not as hard as enamel, therefore the decay will become rampant. Once the decay is into the dentin, that’s when it will hurt and more than likely will end up needing a root-canal and crown.

"If I need a root-canal and crown, I’ll just have it pulled."

My response to this is…. Keep in mind, when it is time to replace that missing tooth, with either a bridge or a dental implant in our office, your cost for replacing that tooth will be more expensive than a root-canal and crown.

"I don’t need to replace a missing tooth."

My response… No you don’t need to replace a missing tooth, but let me tell you the consequences that may arise. First, your teeth will shift, causing your bite to be off. Second, with your bite being off, this may cause TMJ problems. Third, opposing teeth will super-errupt, exposing dentin. Remember dentin is not as dense as enamel, being more sensitive and more likely to get decay. Fourth, as we age into our senior years, we need our teeth to chew our food. A lot of digestion problems arise because of missing teeth.

So I ask you, wouldn’t it be cheaper to come in for a check-up twice a year?

Coming up in the next article, "Periodontal Disease".

About the author:
Leigh Womble is the Office Manager for Lakeland Hills Dental
www.lakelandhillsdental.com