A patient came to see me the other day.
And it’s fair to say it’s been a while since he went to the dentist.
Not because he’s scared or nervous, but – like so many of us – life had just got in the way.
He’d been busy with work, he’d started a young family, and of course, the whole pandemic threw a curveball in there too.
What made him finally come in?
Unfortunately, it was a severely broken tooth.
And as much as I’d like to say that we fixed it, the sad truth is that we couldn’t – it’s gone too far to save, and it now needs to be removed; he’ll also need a few other treatments to get his mouth back up to where he wants it to be.
Now, importantly, there’s no judgment or criticism from us – we totally understand the multitude of reasons why you might fall out of the habit of coming to the dentist, and we aren’t going to stand here and shake our heads.
However, this little story does highlight the danger of waiting till something goes really wrong before seeking help.
The reality is that these issues would have been preventable, with regular dental visits, and the overall cost far, far lower.
This patient isn’t alone – over the years we’ve seen countless patients whose issues could have been stopped at source with regular dental and hygienist checkups.
There’s a saying that goes, “Listen to your body when it whispers, so you won’t have to hear it scream”, and it’s definitely applicable to dentistry.
If you know someone that has a little niggle, or a slightly sensitive tooth, do them a favour and give them a nudge: you may help them avoid needing to go through extensive and expensive treatment.
Ketan
