Preventive dentistry means caring for teeth to keep them healthy and avoid cavities, gum disease, enamel wear and other damage. It’s a task shared by patient and dentist in cooperation, working in different ways, such as daily brushing and flossing and regular check-ups, towards the same goal.
Regular visits to the dentist are about more than just enjoying the fresh, clean feeling hygiene sessions leave in the mouth. Of course, professionally removing calculus and bacteria is an important part of maintaining oral health (however thoroughly people brush and floss every day, everyone misses some areas, especially at the back of the mouth). During check-ups we’ll also be screening for problems that may be developing unnoticed by the patient, such as cavities or oral cancer.
Symptoms for these might be hard or impossible to notice alone if there is no pain, which is particularly worrying given that rates of oral cancer have soared by 68% since 1996. And given that survival rates for oral cancer have not improved in 20 years, late diagnosis is an increasingly urgent problem, frustrated by the fact that half of adults still aren’t seeing a dentist regularly.
Anyone who’s ever needed a complete smile makeover or restoration knows that a beautiful smile with functional teeth is easily taken for granted — until it’s lost. Extensive dental restorations like dental implants, crowns, bridges and veneers are expensive and time consuming, and preventive dentistry is intended to avoid the need for them wherever possible.
Gum disease is a major cause of tooth loss and has been linked to a number of general health problems, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Practicing good oral hygiene habits at home, which we will provide guidance on, and visiting your dentist at Aquae Sulis regularly is a reliable way to stop gum disease in its tracks.
