Debunking Those Excuses... Why You Truly Need to See Your Honest Dentist Regularly
We understand that the dental office is not the most enjoyable place in the world.
We know it may cost some money, which you could enjoy much more if you spent it elsewhere.
We hear you that you may not have dental insurance.
BUT...
We have the solutions for you...to all of these problems.
Please, just hear us out...
It is extremely important that you go to the dentist regularly, even with all of these “buts.”
This is why...
It’s not just about cavities. There’s another disease to worry about too.
When people think of the dentist, they automatically associate dental problems with getting cavities.
Did you know that some people can go their whole lives without getting a single cavity? It’s true! But guess what?
These people are, instead, EXTREMELY prone to getting periodontal disease!
Periodontal disease is a silent disease...
It silently eats away at the gums and bone in your mouth, showing you nothing but some bleeding gums and bad breath.
The scariest thing happens. People gain a false sense of security. They think that because their teeth don’t hurt, and because they don’t get cavities, they are immune to going to the dentist. Everything is fine. “Nothing hurts,” they say.
These thoughts are so dangerous.
People who don’t get cavities are actually MORE prone to getting a terrible disease that eats at their gums and bone instead of their teeth.
It’s just a different type of bacteria and a different genetic predisposition that you have.
When these periodontal-disease-prone people do not see their honest dentist regularly, the bacteria secretly eats at their gum and bone in their mouth. Bad breath and bleeding gums are the only “symptoms” that they see or feel. If left untreated, their teeth will eventually get loose and fall out all on their own. The bone is what holds our teeth in our heads. We really need to keep it around.
Periodontal disease doesn’t hurt. Truthfully, all that people notice is that their gums bleed and that they have bad breath. They rush to buy more mouthwash to mask the smell, and they believe that their “gums just bleed. They always have.”
Instead, they should be rushing to the dentist to get their teeth cleaned and examined! Bleeding gums are not normal.
When you don’t get your teeth cleaned regularly...
“Barnacles,” as I like to call them, grow on your teeth.
These “Barnacles” are globs of dead bacteria, also known as tartar or calculus.
The “barnacles” of dead bacteria began as globs of LIVE bacteria, known as plaque.
Whatever plaque you didn’t floss and brush off yourself is left there to wreak havoc on your mouth. At that point, your body has a built-in natural defense mechanism to help you. It’s called saliva.
Saliva kills the live bacteria that you leave on your teeth by shooting minerals into it. Just like a rock is composed of minerals, the bacteria now stick to your tooth like a mineralized clump of lava rock. Once there, it can only be removed with the metal instruments that a dental hygienist uses.
If you don’t get it removed with a dental visit, the dead bacteria “barnacles” let MORE live bacteria live on top. This quietly causes MORE of that Periodontal disease to occur...and the cycle continues.
You’ll NEED the help of your honest dentist, dental hygienist, and possibly a periodontist if it’s been going on too long. If you don’t get the help needed, you will eventually lose the teeth.
Periodontal disease is also destructive for your overall body health, with links to heart disease and diabetes.
So please read the SODA that we have spilled for you about periodontal disease if you think you may be suffering from it.
Find your honest dentist soon.
Regular maintenance is key to the health of your mouth and body, just like with your car. Get those tartar “barnacle” globs removed on a regular basis. Every 6 months at least.
Once your mouth is brought back into shape, you can easily maintain it from there with flossing, brushing, mouthwash, and regular dental cleanings.
You should never find yourself in a deep cleaning predicament over and over.
Cavities are better fixed BEFORE something hurts and when they are small.
Over and over, we hear this same thing from patients: “Nothing hurts, so I don’t want x-rays.” or “I’ll wait and go to the dentist when something hurts.”
Trust us on this. Cavities USUALLY don’t hurt until they’re a really BIG deal! That is, until the cavities are BIG!
When cavities get large, it takes more time, more money, and more dentistry to fix them. That means more drilling, more visits, and more wallet opening for you.
You’re more likely to need a root canal if you wait too long. You’re more likely to need a crown. Heck, sometimes the cavity will have grown so big that they can’t save the tooth at all!
Wouldn’t it be better to go to the dentist regularly? Have your teeth cleaned, and let your hygienist and dentist find the cavities when they are small? Before they get big? While they can be fixed with just a small filling?
Yes, the answer is YES! Over and over, YES!
The best dental restoration is NO dental restoration...but if you have to have one, the best dental restoration is a SMALL one!
This is why those x-rays help...
As the dental hygienist diligently and thoroughly cleans your teeth, he/she feels around every aspect of every tooth. They can usually feel and find a cavity before it gets too big. (Not so much with the ultrasonic scaler though, so every diligent hygienist should use their hand instruments as well)
It’s harder for hygienists to feel deep in between the teeth, though. They have an especially hard time in between the back teeth and up under crowns and big fillings. This is why we take dental x-rays. The x-rays allow us to check the areas between your teeth that are harder to feel or see visually.
The name of the game is prevention and maintenance.
If you stay on top of things with an honest dentist, you can truly make it through life with very limited dental problems.
The dental world is not rocket science.
Suppose a person does what they are supposed to do, by brushing properly, flossing properly, using the correct mouthwash, and are sure to get their teeth cleaned regularly. Those who do will have a dental life that is sure to be gravy. No more dental horror stories, we promise. It’s so, so true.
So be sure to take a little bit of time to read the SODA that we’ve spilled for you on these topics. Heed our advice, and your dental stories and experiences will change forever.
Also, it may not even benefit you to get dental insurance!! It doesn’t pay for much anyways. Read up on what we have to say about that, and decide for yourself if it’s for you.
Though it would be best if we did, we’ll never claim to know it all, all of the time. NO ONE knows it all! We do claim honesty, though, and we sincerely want to help as many people as we can! Our patients have maintained beautifully, following our conservative recommendations :)
So, thanks so much for reading and letting us spill our SODA! Remember to take the time to find your HONEST DENTIST, and be sure to browse around our links and follow us on social media for answers to more of your exciting dental questions, like:
