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As a practitioner of
preventive dentistry I cannot stress enough the importance of hygiene exams
not only for a thorough cleaning, but to locate potential problems. As
someone who also has to go to the dentist twice a year and who dreads
hearing that all is not right with my teeth, I can sympathize with most
individuals who routinely put off regular check-ups.
The best argument I
can give for regular hygiene exams is based on the results of the first
nationwide survey of oral health in children and adults by the National
Institute of Dental Research (NIDR). The results of this study were
astounding in spelling out the importance of preventive dentistry.
The NIDR survey found
that on a nationwide basis 45% of children and adolescents still suffer
from tooth decay. Untreated decay in primary teeth is still a prevalent
problem as 47% of tooth decay in the primary teeth of two to nine year olds
is not treated. In American adults tooth decay remains nearly universal.
The NIDR study found that 94% of people age 18 and older have untreated
decay or have had decay in the past as evidenced through fillings in crowns
of teeth.
The bottom line of the
survey is that while home care staples such as brushing, flossing and
eating properly remain, tooth decay also remains a persistent problem for
children and adults. No one has yet found a magic pill to prevent cavities.
The NIDR study then went on to emphasize the health and monetary gains to
patients through preventive dentistry. Biannual exams were found to be
overwhelmingly successful in locating and treating a problematic area of
decay before the decay went beyond a filling and became a root canal or
extraction.
Does this mean that
every potential problem is a candidate for immediate treatment? The answer
here is no. While tooth decay in its beginning stage will not always
require instantaneous treatment, it will always require watching. My
argument, then, is that a trip to the dentist to hear about a tooth that
may need a filling down the road is less onerous than a dental visit in
which one is informed that for the next month every Saturday will be spent
at the dentist undergoing root canal.
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