It is only when you have to wake up in the middle of the night because of an excruciating toothache that you realize that they were right when they spoke about how prevention is better than cure, and how it is important to nip the problem in the bud before it grows into something bigger. Dentistry is a classic example of how failure to address a small problem in a timely manner can cause you a great deal of discomfort, as well as a massive hit to the wallet.
In order to monitor every patient’s oral health from time to time, dental surgeons stress the importance of routinely visits and checkups. When a patient visits a clinic every month, or one in two months, it is easy to keep a check on any changes in the hard or soft tissues of the oral cavity. For instance, you may neglect a small white or brown lesion on the surface of your tooth till it starts to throb or hurt, but a dentist will immediately recommend a filling to prevent the bacteria from causing gross decay. When a carious lesion is small and restricted to the enamel or dentin portion of the tooth, it can easily be restored with the help of dental filling materials; however, if the caries is left untreated long enough for it to infect the pulp, only a Root Canal can save the tooth – a treatment which requires more visits, and is comparatively more expensive in contrast to a simple single-visit filling.
Similarly dentists always examine the health of the gums to check for any periodontal diseases. Gingivitis is one of the most common gum-related diseases in the world today; mainly resulting from a lack of proper oral hygiene, this condition is characterized by the swelling, tenderness and bleeding of the gums. Once a patient experiences these symptoms, he/she must immediately seek professional dental attention and get an Ultrasonic Scaling done to remove any accumulated calculus, bacteria or food debris around the gums and teeth. However, if Gingivitis is left untreated, it progresses on to a more aggressive, irreversible stage known as Periodontists – this condition is characterized by pain, redness, swelling, pocket formation and frequent bleeding of the gums accompanied by foul odor (halitosis), recession of the gums, root exposure, tooth mobility and ultimately early loss of teeth. The latter demands an aggressive treatment planning which comprises of surgical and pharmaceutical interventions along with lifestyle modifications. The treatment itself requires a significant amount of time and money, and the cost of replacing the missing teeth is even more.
These are two of the many scenarios frequently seen in dental hospitals and clinics across the world – dental procedures aren’t necessarily expensive and time consuming if patients learn to get timely treatments every time they notice changes in their oral cavity, regardless of how small or insignificant they may be. Always remember to visit the dentist once in two months at least, or for bi-annual checkups to save yourself a great deal of time, money and stress.