We know that the past year has been a strange one. We know that COVID restrictions and personal levels of concern over virus transmission have kept many people away from the dental office, postponing their regularly scheduled checkups. As we, as a nation, begin to get the pandemic under control, it is time for those who’ve delayed dental visits to return for their checkups.
This blog will explain the most important explanations for the necessity of consistent dental checkups and professional teeth cleanings.
Dental Diseases Don’t Cause Pain Until They are Advanced
The reason many people give for postponing dental care is that “nothing is bothering me”. The problem with this condition is that it rests on the assumption that dental problems will always cause noticeable symptoms. They will not!
In fact, most dental diseases only cause symptoms after they reach a moderate or severe stage. Cavities rarely cause pain until they reach the nerve. At this point, that means they can no longer be repaired with a simple filling, but instead require invasive nerve treatment.
A cracked tooth that hurts consistently definitely needs a full crown and may also need a root canal to remove the damaged nerve inside. In the case of gum disease, waiting until a tooth is loose or the gums hurt means you risk losing the tooth altogether.
Waiting for dental problems to cause noticeable symptoms guarantees that you will need expensive and extensive treatments.
Dental Diseases Worsen Over Time
Dental problems get progressively worse over time. When you keep up with consistent dental checkups, it enables your dentist to catch diseases in their earliest stages. The earlier you catch a problem, the easier the treatment is.
As with all diseases and health problems, early detection is a great advantage in the overall success of treatment and return to a state of health. Delaying dental care may allow any early dental problems to progress further than you would experience had you kept consistent checkup visits.
As we mentioned in the previous section, these dental diseases do not cause noticeable symptoms in their early stages. This means that the progression is occurring unbeknownst to you!
Most Dental Diseases are Preventable
As dentists, we can affirm that more than ninety percent of dental problems requiring treatment are preventable. We can prevent cavities, gum disease, and most cracked teeth by taking preventive steps.
The tricky part is that not everyone is at risk for the same dental problems. One person may develop new cavities every year while maintaining wonderfully healthy gums. We’ve seen patients with perfectly healthy and strong teeth that suffer from disastrous gum disease. Others may have healthy teeth and gums, yet developed cracked molars due to heavy teeth clenching or grinding.
One of the jobs we take most seriously at Prosper Family Dentistry is our responsibility to identify each patient’s risk factors and educate him or her about them. At each dental checkup, Dr. Jill, Dr. Cara and Dr. Summer and your dental hygienist are evaluating the entire oral cavity. They investigate thoroughly to detect any warning signs or risk factors that could eventually lead to dental problems.
We love helping our patients make changes to diet, oral hygiene routine, or preventive treatments that will help them stop dental problems before they start. What must be clearly understood by the patient is that a mandatory step in that preventive process is consistent dental checkups. When we don’t see you, we can’t help you stop the dental diseases that may be developing.
More Questions about Dental Checkups?
Call Prosper Family Dentistry today at 972-347-1145 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Jill, Dr. Cara and Dr. Summer. They can answer all of your questions about the importance of dental checkups and assess your specific areas of concern.
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