Stratford Dental Implants Specialists on: The Seven Deadly Dental Sins, PART 4

This 8-part series provides an in-depth look at seven different habits, addictions and behaviors that are deadly to your oral health. Welcome back to our 8-part article series on the different habits, addictions and behaviors that are deadly to the health of your teeth and gums. In our previous installment, Part 3, the Rutherford dental implants specialist discussed deadly dental sin # 2: tobacco-use. In this article, the fourth installment of the series, the focus will be on deadly dental sin # 3: avoiding those essential bi-annual appointments with the dentist! When Last Did You See Your Dentist?

Did you know that “odontophobia” - fear of the dentist and of dental treatment - is one of the more common fears experienced by Americans? Just about everyone has a horror story they’ve heard from a friend of a friend and with popular scary movies depicting dentists as crazy-eyed, drill-wielding maniacs, it’s no wonder we harbor a little anxiety around our bi-annual check-ups. What it shouldn’t do is keep us from regular scheduled appointments with the dentist and dental hygienist. Do you avoid taking your child for his or her vaccinations because they hate needles? Nope! Avoiding the dentist because you’d rather not deal with the fear, anxiety or insecurities you may have is one of the most counter-intuitive things you can do. Why? Because avoiding the dentist allows illnesses, infections, decay and cavities to go undiagnosed and untreated. These problems seldom “go away on their own.” In fact, they tend to progress and before you know it you’ve got a serious oral health problem that cannot be ignored: For example: A surface cavity left without treatment can lead to decay of the entire crown of the tooth. If a root canal procedure cannot save the tooth, then it will need to be extracted and replaced with a dental implant.

By this stage you actually can’t ignore your oral problem anymore, you’ve not only risked doing permanent damage to your teeth and gums, perhaps even resulting in tooth loss, but the treatment required to fix the problem is far more complex. And by “complex” we mean invasive, possibly surgical, and expensive.

Prevention is Better Than Cure Going to the dentist once every six months is essential for the maintenance of great oral health via prevention. Your dental healthcare professional will cast a trained eye over each and every tooth - looking for signs of infection, cavities or decay. Should he or she find any, they can provide quick and effective treatment that can generally be done within an hour’s appointment. A professional cleaning will remove any accumulations of plaque and tartar, leaving your pearly whites feeling squeaky clean and looking great. If you do suffer from an actual phobia of dental treatment or some other associated factor, such as needles, ask your dentist about sedation, rather than avoiding your appointments all together. Remember these two things: (1) when it comes to the health of your teeth and gums, prevention is always better than cure and (2) the media may portray dentists to be bloodthirsty lunatics, but the reality is substantially less exciting, although there may be a lollipop in it for you if you behave well... just remember to brush after enjoying it!

Stay Tuned for Part 5 Stay tuned for the fifth installment of this 8-part article series in which Stratford dental implants specialists discuss the number four transgression against good oral health: a bad diet that’s high in sugar and low in nutrition.