Calculating how best to spend your monthly budget is often difficult.
Bills must be paid, and food has to be provided. So, the sixmonthly dental check-up or teeth clean is often perceived to be a luxury. In addition, many people are anxious to see the dentist and will either delay or avoid a visit. However, missing your regular trips to the dentist could cost you more rands when you discover that you have a serious dental health problem.
Routine dental care is an essential part of keeping your teeth healthy and fighting against plaque and cavities. “Dentists not only solve problems, but they can also prevent them,” says Dr Fareed Amod of Crown Dental Studio. “I ensure that my patients obtain the necessary advice, x-rays, and other services that are designed to protect your teeth and ensure that your mouth is healthy.”
Perhaps even more importantly, regular appointments allow many potentially serious dental health problems to be detected. These range from tooth decay and gum disease, which could result in the loss of teeth if ignored, to children requiring orthodontic treatment, or to aligning crooked teeth. Early identification and management of these potential problems means that they are easier, and therefore less expensive, to treat.
Symptoms of pain or bleeding gums mean that a tooth or teeth could be damaged. Suddenly, the relative cost of the missed dental check-up will seem insignificant in comparison to the costs of root canal work, false teeth, or dental implants to repair a smile. In addition, a dental screening should include an examination of the head and neck as well as the lips, cheeks, tongue, palate, floor of mouth and gum tissues.
During this examination the dentist will check for any lumps on your head or neck. They will also check for any red or white patches in the mouth. Usually, these examinations will find nothing to be concerned about, but they could save your life.
Dental hygienists are often disregarded when it comes to managing your oral health, but they offer valuable services. They assist in promoting preventive dental health and treating gum disease. This includes cleaning your teeth (a ‘scale and polish’) by removing plaque and tartar, both of which cause tooth decay and gum disease.
Crown Dental Studio hygienist Mateenah Amod says, “Having a cleaning at least two to three times a year is recommended to help ensure that no issues are developing and to remove the build-up of plaque that happens over time even with brushing and flossing.”
Dental hygienists help you to keep your teeth and gums healthy by showing you the correct home care routine required and may suggest a product that can prevent problems from developing or persisting. This is advice that you won’t hear if you skip your checkups or cleans to save money.
Often when people have dental problems, they use the internet to find solutions which can be very misleading. To qualify as a dentist requires many years of training to acquire both the knowledge and expertise required. In addition, says Dr Amod, “I wish to build relationships with my clients by seeing them regularly, which will allow me to tailor advice and support specific to their needs. We offer long term care of your teeth, and we will be happy to produce a detailed treatment plan to transform your smile. If you take care of your oral hygiene, you are doing your share of the work and then I can do mine.”
Crown Dental Studio is one of the few truly 24-hour dental practises in Durban as this is not limited to emergency dentistry treatment.
T: +27 (0) 81 207 8621
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