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Category:
Published: January 2008
Why do dentists recommend that patients come in twice a year to get their teeth cleaned and checked? Although public perception invariably turns to the cleaning, it is the exam that is just as important, if not more so. The real reason is that most dental problems do not hurt. Therefore, it is important to have your teeth examined before any problems get serious, and before you feel pain.
Neither decay nor periodontal disease usually causes pain until the problem is fairly serious. A patient can walk around with periodontal disease experiencing only very mild discomfort, a lousy taste, and bad breath. However, by that time, the disease can be so bad that it will result in the loss of numerous teeth. It is also not unusual for a patient who has been avoiding the dentist to have the first actual sign of pain occur only when the decay has gotten into the nerve of the tooth, and by that time the tooth needs extraction or root canal therapy.
We recently had an educated, knowledgeable patient who had put off dental visits for about seven years because he had no discomfort whatsoever and his teeth looked and felt fine. When he finally did come in due to a minor problem, x-rays revealed a significant tumor in his jaw. The removal of the tumor necessitated the removal of over ten teeth. Thankfully, this is an uncommon occurrence, but one that needs to be avoided by thorough exams and routine x-rays.
I do want to stress that it is important to have your teeth cleaned twice a year, and some people need cleanings even more often. The buildup of tartar that most people have is a great breeding ground for bacteria, which causes periodontal disease. Once the bacteria has calcified and formed a little coral reef around the tooth, it is just about impossible for it to be removed, except by a licensed professional hygienist. During the cleaning, the hygienist will also be able to safely remove stains, caused by the many habits we have such as drinking coffee or smoking, from the teeth.
As for young children, it is important to watch their growth and development in order to see dental problems as they are developing. It is better to take care of these problems at the earliest possibility and with the least amount of intervention. As children get older, it is certainly important to see what is happening with their wisdom teeth. If there is a probability that the wisdom teeth will need to be extracted, it is better to schedule the procedure when children are younger, as there will be quicker and easier healing and less chance of complications.
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