Ok I admit it! I have
fillings, lots of them, a good few root treatments too
and a handful of crowns. In fact there is little that I
do to my patients that I have not been on the receiving
end of myself at one time or another. Great for helping
me to be an empathetic dentist but given a choice of all
this or no treatment at all what do you think I would
choose?
Despite all of this
treatment in my mouth, I have not experienced any new
tooth decay for at least 10 years.....so what do I know
that most people don't?
Here are my thoughts
First lets start with the
old fashioned approach to dentistry, it
goes something like this.....
At your check up the dentist finds tooth decay in
your mouth -
so you have a filling.
At your next check up or the one after that there is
more decay
and so another filling is done
and so it goes on, every so often
having filling after
filling
So over a lifetime your
ever increasing number of fillings that grow ever
larger. Eventually teeth start to break and crowns or
root fillings become necessary too. It seems like you
are never away from the dentist and that your teeth just
don't like you any more.....do you remember any of this
from the past? I do!
Now lets look at the
MODERN ALTERNATIVE = Preventive
Dentistry
Your dentist knows that filling teeth IS NOT
treating tooth decay.
They that a filling only treats the EFFECT
of tooth decay.
Treating tooth decay actually means stopping the
process that caused the hole in the first place
So instead he or she sets about finding out
WHY you are getting tooth decay
Then helps you to sort this problem out
All this is done without a drill going anywhere near
your teeth
A preventive or minimally
invasive dentist might
-
analyse your diet,
-
examine a sample of plaque from your mouth under a
microscope
-
test
your saliva to find out if it is helping or
hindering
-
ask a
skilled dental hygienist to devise a killer home
care routine for you
-
use a
laser scanner to identify early decay
These are just some of the
things that that I have befitted from personally and
lead to our team being shortlisted as
preventive practice
of the year in 2007. The tests themselves do nothing but
an experienced preventive dentist will use the
information they provide to create a customised plan of
action which can help you to eliminate the tooth decay
process from your life. permanently
If you can stop the decay
process, and it really is possible to do this without
living like a Saint, then the amount of dental treatment
that you need in future will be far far less. Now hands
up anyone who actually likes having treatment
done?........
It sounds so simple and
obvious but it is true.
Over the years our
team
have helped hundreds of
nervous patients
regain control of their dental health. They have been
able to stop the decay process in their mouths and as a
result have need far less treatment. That is the perfect
outcome and that aim of preventive dentistry.
If there is no new decay
happening then treating any pre existing problem becomes
much less urgent and can be carried out at a pace that
is comfortable and stress free to all concerned. it
means one less thing to worry about.
Equally if you are
considering investing in any cosmetic treatment wouldn't
you rather protect your investment by making sure that
your mouth is as healthy as it can be before you start?
So if you would like any
advice or help treating tooth decay why not start with
our simple
4 point prevention plan
on our
web site.
It's not rocket science but as a starting point it will
improve your chances of becoming decay free. Or better
still drop our team a line with your question and they
will be happy to oblige. |