March 12, 2013
Tags: dentist, london dentist, nhs, whitening, inman aligner, cosmetic dentist, checkup, dental, anish, anish dentist.
You have enough to worry about when working and balancing your personal life. The last thing you probably want to do is go to the dentist. But, putting off a visit to the dentist may be more harmful than you think!
Routine dental checkups done every 6 months are done to spot and treat problems early. Treatment early will often be preventive in nature and often require no injections or drilling.
Preventive check-ups provide us with an opportunity to identify and intervene early in dental diseases. This can reduce any pain and the financial costs associated with more severe forms of dental diseases.It will involve us looking for decay, chipped and worn teeth, assessing gum health, taking x-rays, a clean if required, and an oral cancer screeening
1. Start with an oral cancer screen- visually inspecting the soft tissues directly outside and inside your mouth.
2. Chart/count all your teeth and fillings. This is where we would look for cavities, cracks, and old failing fillings as well assess your gums and mouth.
3. Take small xrays- this is to assess for decay inbetween your teeth, and to chart the levels of the bone surrounding your teeth. This gives us an indication of tooth support and suport loss would indicate gum disease. We will always walk you through your x-rays and show you what we see on our screens.
4. We will then perform a general clean at the same visit if no other treatment is needed and discuss your next appointment date, alongside giving you oral health advice and possible areas to improve on.
5. If you do require treatment, we will talk you through what needs doing, and if it is extensive we write up a personal treatment plan which will include what needs doing, visit by visit.
6. Ask about your general health and any problems you’ve had with your teeth, mouth or gums since your last visit. Ask about, and give you advice on, your diet, smoking and alcohol use, and teeth-cleaning habits. Discuss with you a date for your next visit.
Depending on what is needed, we will normally provide you with a treatment plan and an indication of your oral health risk. It can be mild, moderate, or severe. We will use this work out how often we need to see you to maintain good oral health.
The major risk is un-detected oral disease, leading to tooth pain, infection and loss. For example, mild gingivitis that goes unnoticed can progress into more serious periodontal disease, possibly resulting in pain, tooth loss and more extensive treatment when you finally get in to see a dentist. If caught early, periodontal disease is reversible and easier to manage.
Infrequently, a patients needs may be serious enough to warrant a referral to a dental consultant in a hospital. If this is the case, we will let you know that we need a second opinion and you may have your treatment carried out with the hospital, or with us under consultant instructions.
The repetitive cost of a routine check-up is far less that the one off treatment to have root canal treatment for example. It is in your interest both from a health and financial point of view to attend the dentist regularly. At this point you are at the first level of the "dental cycle", and with proper preventitive practice may never need to go any further.
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