Many people in Philadelphia don’t see the dentist because they see it as time lost, but the truth is that seeing your dentist regularly actually saves time. Here’s how dental visits save you time at every stage by reducing or even eliminating the need for more dental care.
Before A Cavity Develops
If you are making regular check-up and hygiene visits to your dentist before cavities develop, it allows us to monitor the state of your teeth, including identifying small demineralizations which may soon become cavities.
Based on what we see, we can recommend changes to your at-home hygiene, prescribe remineralizing washes, and suggest other ways you can prevent that cavity from needing a filling.
Before a Cavity Grows
Even if we can’t prevent a cavity from forming, detecting it when it’s smaller is better. A small tooth-colored filling can protect your tooth from further damage. And getting a small filling is better than a large one. Not only does it mean there’s more natural tooth material to keep your tooth stronger, it’s also faster and less expensive.
Before a Tooth Becomes Infected
Even if you develop a large cavity that makes the tooth vulnerable to cracking or breaking, getting it treated early is better. A dental crown will restore the tooth’s strength. If left too long, this deep penetrating cavity might reach the tooth nerve, causing an infection that requires a root canal to treat.
With CEREC, too, a dental crown can be completed in one visit, which saves you even more time.
Before a Tooth Is Lost
But even if your tooth becomes infected, it’s possible to save it. Root canals are very successful procedures, and a tooth treated with a root canal may last another 20 years or more. It’s also important to treat an infected tooth quickly, because an infected tooth can be the gateway for bacteria to enter your bone, infecting other teeth from inside, or enter your sinuses, then, eventually your brain.
Before Jawbone Is Lost
Once we are unable to save a tooth, there is still good reason to see your dentist sooner. Dental implants have the highest level of success if they are placed in sturdy, natural bone, but letting an infected tooth stay in the mouth will cause you to lose bone–as will waiting after a tooth was lost to get a replacement.
No Time Like the Present for Scheduling a Dental Visit
Perhaps the most important factor about visiting your dentist regularly is that you get to pick when you see the dentist. You can fit the visits in where they’re most convenient, instead of having to take them there’s an emergency–and don’t those usually happen at the worst possible time?
If you want to protect your teeth–and your time, please call (610) 272-0828 to schedule an appointment at Dental Excellence of Blue Bell
