It has come to our
attention that some of our patients are postponing their regular dental
cleaning and checkup appointments. That
is just like not changing the oil in your car-it saves a few bucks now but
could be much more expensive in the future.
Most adults should see their dentist for a regular cleaning and check up every six
months. People at a greater risk for oral diseases should have dental check ups more than twice a year, which means about every 3-4 months. Tobacco and alcohol use, diabetes, pregnancy, periodontal and gum disease, poor oral hygiene and certain medical conditions are some of the many factors that your dentist takes into consideration when deciding how often you need your dental cleaning and check up.
We are
also seeing more and more patients that are taking multiple medications for
their general health such as Osteoporosis medications, Statins for high
cholesterol, multiple meds for high blood pressure etc. We have had many patients on these drugs for
years and all of a sudden they develop a dry mouth. This condition can cause serious damage to
your mouth. We have had about 4 patients
on medications that skipped their regular cleaning and the next time we saw
them they had 10-20 cavities caused from the dry mouth. If you notice a dry mouth please contact your
physician and us immediately to see how we can prevent this devastating
damage.
Going
to your regular check ups will help to keep your gums and teeth healthy as well
as detect any problems in the early stages and of course that will save money
and grief. Lately we have had several
patients that haven’t been in over the last year or so and then they call with
a toothache, cracked tooth, massive decay etc. which now costs them in some
cases thousands of dollars and lots of grief.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Cosmetic Dental Associates | www.cosmeticdentistshouston.com
