Dental Treatment Plans: Don’t Take Forever to Complete Them
All to often I see new patients requiring extensive treatment to get back to a healthy condition, because they haven’t been to the dentist in many years. Patients often tell me they stayed away from the dentist because they have been too busy to think about their teeth. Personally I believe that many people simply have a hard time confronting dental work and hope the problem will go away. However in the case of dental care, my advice is bite the bullet and the sooner the better. In the long run, prompt attendance to dental issues means less pain and less expense.
When restoring dental health, my first priorities are to handle any tooth pain and extractions of non-restorable teeth. Once that is done, it is time to have the gums looked at and treated. For some, it is as simple as having a dental cleaning. For others, they may a deep cleaning and possible even periodontal surgery to treat extensive bone loss.
Once the situation is more stabilized, we can treat the decay, broken or chipped teeth, broken fillings, and finally restoring missing teeth.
Yesterday a patient returned to my office after visiting my oral surgeon and having some teeth removed. The problem is that TWO years have gone by, and the remaining treatment is more difficult. Included in this is the need for some extensive periodontal surgery as his next step. One of his molars also has decay that has made it necessary to have endodontic treatment (root canal therapy) to save that one. This is a disappointing scenario.
When it come to teeth, and especially for those who now have a lot to do to fix their mouth, time is of the essence. Within a year the condition can change a lot! These patients have already done their waiting, and it’s time to move quickly. The consequences can be as dire as having to lose all of your teeth and be fitted for dentures. That works for some, but there are many unhappy denture wearers out there. Dentistry has wonderful improvements and innovations that are now available. You should take advantage of these if they’re needed!