Avoiding the Dentist is dangerous
Read on to find out why many of the most common excuses for avoiding the dentist are misguided and even dangerous.
It is too Expensive
Many people avoid the dentist because they think it’s too expensive, either because they don’t have dental insurance, or they don’t feel they can afford dental care.
When you are avoiding the dentist due to fear of the cost, it’s important to understand that the longer you wait to receive dental care, the worse and thus more expensive your problems will become.
Even if you don’t have any problems currently, preventative care is much less expensive than emergency care or treatments for serious dental problems that could have been caught and treated more easily through routine checkups.
The bottom line here is that avoiding the dentist due to fear of the cost will probably end up costing you more in the long run.
Fear of the Dentist
Going to the dentist is not usually fun for most.
However, some people get more stressed about the dentist than others.
When you avoid the dentist’s serious oral health problems, heart disease and stroke can occur. Heart disease and stroke have been linked to gum disease, which is prevalent in people who avoid the dentist.
However, if you suffer from dental anxiety or phobia, we go the extra mile to ensure you are comfortable throughout your visit, whether you are here for a routine checkup or a dental procedure.
We are also great listeners and won’t rush through anything.
We’ll talk with you and ensure you fully understand everything before beginning.
We will not make you feel horrible no matter how long it’s been since you last saw a dentist or how much work you may need.
We’re focused on your present and future and just happy we can help you get and stay healthy moving forward.
I am not hurting right now, everything is fine in my mouth.
It is Great!! that you are not in pain right now.
However, it doesn’t mean there’s not something wrong, especially if you haven’t seen a dentist in a while.
For example, if you catch a cavity before it starts hurting, it probably means the cavity didn’t get deep enough to begin affecting the nerve.
The shallower a cavity is, the less time and anesthesia it usually requires to fill.
Additionally, it’s usually less expensive to fix. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”
Baby teeth will just fall out, no need to do anything to them
This is a dangerous misconception.
Ensuring your children’s baby teeth remain healthy is the first step to ensuring their adult teeth are healthy.
Neglecting baby teeth today could end up costing your child a lot of pain and a lot of money in the future.
Additionally, practicing good oral hygiene from a young age creates healthy habits that last into adulthood.
Still, need some convincing?
Here are some common complications that occur when baby teeth are neglected:
- When adult teeth begin to come in, they are guided by the roots of the baby teeth. If there are no roots present due to tooth decay and loss, the adult teeth are likely to come in crooked. This may cause children to become self-conscious about their smile, and lead to future mis-alignments
- Children who do not see the dentist during childhood often practice poor oral hygiene in adult life.
- Children who suffer from pain due to neglected oral hygiene have a hard time eating well, concentrating, and may experience trouble learning in school.
Baby teeth are important in a child’s speech development. Children who lose their baby teeth early due to tooth decay may develop speech problems.
To ensure you set your child up for a lifetime of oral health success, the American Association of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that children see a dentist as soon as their first tooth appears.
After that initial check-up, your trusted dentist can advise you on how often your child should have checkups based on their oral health.
However, a check-up every six months is usually the recommended routine.
I am too busy
We all lead busy lives, and sometimes life gets more chaotic than others.
But it’s important to make your oral healthcare and the oral healthcare of your family a priority.
Maintaining routine checkups for everyone will help prevent serious and potentially painful and costly and problems from developing in the future.
