Dental Visits: What’s the big deal anyway?

The Importance of the Dental Check-up:

Following these simple guidelines can help you maintain a healthier looking smile as well as maximized oral health throughout your life. (ADA, n.d.).

1. Brush twice a day

2. Floss Daily

3. See your dentist for regular check ups.

Good oral hygiene and regular dental care are important throughout your whole life. No matter what your age, practicing good oral hygiene at home and visiting your dentist regularly will prevent dental problems, not to mention save you time and money. As an added bonus, you can save your teeth and gums (ADA, n.d.)!

The American Dental Association recommends regular dental check-ups, including a visit to the dentist every six months or twice a year. Most dental insurance plans will cover those routine visits (make sure to check with your specific provider for more information). Preventive care such as cleanings and fluoride treatments provide you with more than just “smile insurance” (although that is a nice additional benefit).

“Routine dental exams uncover problems that can be easily treated in the early stages, when damage is minimal” (American Dental Association [ADA], 2008).

Answers to Common Objections

Objection one: How am I going to afford all of this dental care?

Objection two: What if I am afraid of going to the dentist?

These are probably the most frequent reasons why people avoid the dentist: finances and dental fears and phobias (About.com, 2007). So let’s break it down into manageable pieces.

1. Objection one: Finances

Many people get frustrated after receiving a treatment plan for their dental work because of the high cost.

But did you know that the people who have an extensive treatment plan are usually the ones who have not visited a dentist in years? Regular checks ups are extremely important.

Take this example: Someone who needs a root canal and crown will most likely be looking at a bill for about $1700.00 for just one tooth. If the same person visited their dentist for regular check ups and cleanings, chances are that this problem could have been detected early and the same tooth could have been filled for less than a tenth of the price.

Most dental problems can be quite inexpensive if diagnosed early. Unless a cavity is filled, the decay continues to eat away at the tooth. When decay extends too far down the tooth, the only alternative is a root canal or to have the tooth pulled (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2006).

The lesson here is: preventative care (even if it seems inconvenient) will save you a lot more than a large dental bill.

2. Objection two: Dental Fears

For a lot of people, the fear of going to the dentist is so intense that they will not even make an appointment. If you are feeling this way consider the following:

Dental problems do not get better on there own and they do not go away. It typically takes a severe toothache to get a person with dental fears into a dental office. By the time they are in the dentist’s chair, the tooth that is aching so badly will probably need a root canal and crown just to save it.

The ‘secret’ to preventing these unpleasant visits to the dentist are these 3 simple steps as mentioned above as well: brush twice daily, floss once per day, and schedule regular dental check ups.

When you consider the alternatives, these 3 steps to a healthy mouth are straightforward. And to add one more crucial reason why regular check ups are important: they could save your life by detecting any early signs of oral cancer.

The Bottom Line

If you do not want to pay a fortune for dental work, follow the three steps above. While there is no 100% guarantee that you will not ever need major dental work, the best thing you can do for your mouth is to take care of it every day. Try not to think of your dentist as an “emergency room” where you will only go if you have an excruciating toothache (About.com, 2007).


References:
About.com: Dental Health. (2007, May 21). Toothaches and the dentist: Visiting the dentist could prevent toothaches. About.com. Retrieved February 6, 2009 from http://dentistry.about.com/od/dentalhealth/a/toothaches.htm

American Dental Association News Releases. (2008, February 4). A reminder to parents: Early dental visits essential to children's health. American Dental Association. Retrieve February 6, 2009, from http://ada.org/public/media/releases/0802_release01.asp

American Dental Association Topics and Resources. (n.d.). Oral health topics: Oral changes with frequently asked questions. American Dental Association. Retrieved February 6, 2009, from http://ada.org/public/topics/oral_changes_faq.asp

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2006, December). Oral Health for Adults. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Division of Oral Health. Retrieved February 6, 2009 from http://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/publications/factsheets/adult.htm