Prevention is not expensive… Disease is!

“There are many varieties that you can get in a Dental crown/cap” I explained someone that I was speaking to last week and who needed to get that treatment done, and with that, I elaborated upon the cost of treatment. “It has become so expensive” was the expected answer that I got from the other end. “Well, why do you think you need this crown,” I asked them, “because my tooth has been treated with root canal treatment after which the cap is necessary to protect it further,” they said. “Good and what made you go through the root canal treatment?” I asked again. “Because my tooth had a cavity!” they looked at me in surprise, thinking why I was interrogating them. “Well,” I said, “and you had a cavity because for over a period of few years your food was getting stuck in that region of your mouth, which was completely ignored by you. If you would have come to me with that small problem I may not even have done a root canal treatment for you, forget the crown. You could have saved quite a bit, in that case, isn’t it” I smiled.

Well on today’s occasion of Oral Hygiene day, this short read is to gently remind you that even in dental health prevention is always better than cure, not just for your teeth but also for your pocket! Two very unique things with any dental disease are that first, it progresses very slowly in the vast majority of cases, which gives you enough chance of many years to prevent it and save it from spreading further. Second, once it has spread it cannot be cured with just medicines, it does need the dentist to operate on it and treat it. Dental disease progresses in stages, for example if you visit your dentist with a small painless cavity it will just need a small filling, if you visit with a big cavity and pain then you may need a root canal treatment and a dental cap and if you visit later than that then you may have to get the tooth removed and get it replaced by a dental bridge/Dental Implant. Thus in cases of ignorance of a small problem and delay of treatment not only do you end up losing your natural tooth, but also the cost of treatment adds on to more because the procedure required to salvage the existing tooth or for putting a new tooth is more. Prevention is not expensive, disease it!

Visiting your dentist for a routine check-up once in every six months, a regular professional dental cleaning procedure, and a good home care as explained and taught by your dentist is the sure-shot way to stay away from getting your teeth drilled for treatment. And yes, dental disease is not related to age, it's only related to the time for which it is left unattended! If you take care of your teeth from the start, then they will make sure that you relish all your favorite food always. Wishing you all a very happy oral hygiene day, take care of your pearly whites and prevent them from any disease to keep smiling!