Delaying seeking dental care until you are suffering in pain is false economy. Early detection of common dental issues such as gum disease or tooth decay is invaluable in seeking prompt treatment of such conditions prior to them either causing pain or becoming larger, more complex and expensive issues. It can take up to two years for tooth decay to permeate through the enamel into the underlying dentine, at which time a filling is usually required. During that time, it may be possible to reverse this process through simple application of concentrated fluoride solution or by modifying your home oral hygiene routine. Pain free and with no needles or drilling! And much kinder on your wallet.
Whilst it is often assumed that dental check-ups are recommended six monthly for everyone, the interval between check-ups will be tailored to your own personal requirement (and desire) and based upon your age and risk of dental disease among other things. Assessment of risk factors such as xerostomia (dry mouth), systemic disease (such as Diabetes), smoking status, gum health and history of tooth decay will also help us to advise an appropriate recall interval. When you attend for a check-up, your routine examination will comprise:
It is advised that children attend six monthly. Regular examination during the primary dentition stage is particularly important as decay can progress quickly in these teeth and often presents with no sensitivity or symptoms. It also provides us with a great opportunity to climatise your child to dental visits and implement advice and oral hygiene instruction, which may prevent problems later on.
Orthodontic assessment to detect potential anomalies pertaining to crowding or the position of teeth also provides us with the opportunity to initiate a timely referral for NHS orthodontic treatment. This would usually be undertaken around the age of 12 years once all of the primary (deciduous) teeth have been lost.
Even if you have no teeth at all, regular screening of the oral soft tissues to rule out signs of pathology is important. It also provides us with an opportunity to visually inspect your dentures to ascertain fit and function and also offer advice on denture hygiene and how this could be improved. Depending on risk factors (previous oral cancer, smoking status and alcohol intake), examination would usually be advised annually, but six monthly recall would be advocated for those at higher risk.
Regular dental examinations give us the opportunity to provide you with advice on cleaning and caring for your teeth and gums, so that hopefully you do not need any treatment beyond scaling with our hygienist.
Examination provides a perfect opportunity to ensure prompt diagnosis of any dental disorders can be made and where there are multiple, differing treatment options available, time will be allocated to discuss these with you. A detailed treatment plan will be formulated in accordance with your wishes and will include the agreed treatments and their cost at each visit. Preventive treatments, such as application of topical fluoride application or oral hygiene instruction, are incorporated if necessary.
It is of paramount importance to us that you retain complete control over your treatment plan and we aim to guide and educate so that you can make an informed choice about your oral care.
Systemic medical disorders, such as diabetes and anaemia, often present with oral manifestations. Dental examination can be a useful screening tool for signs of such a condition, which may then warrant referral to your GP for investigative testing. Visual inspection of the oral soft tissues can also reveal red or white patches, many of which are innocuous and require no investigation, but some of which may require referral via the NHS online pathway, for either routine or urgent (2 week wait) assessment. Likewise, palpation of lymph nodes in your neck during examination can reveal enlargement or tenderness; usually this is reactive and the result of a recent cold or encounter with a viral or bacterial pathogen but persistent enlargement or tenderness (beyond 2 weeks) would warrant a GP or hospital referral for further investigation.
If you or your family are looking for reliable and affordable dentistry, including regular check-ups, please call the friendly team here at Woodbridge Dental Care on 01394 334555 to book your appointment. We look forward to seeing you.
