In the last edition, we learnt about what routine dental check is and how it is done by a dentist or dental surgeon. This week we will go a step further, to learn that a visit for routine dental check is always informative and educative. The simple reason is that many people do not know the right choice of toothbrush to use – whether it should be hard, medium or soft bristle toothbrush. Also most people do not know whether the head of the brush should be glexi or rigid, serrated coloured or non-serrated plain. The dental care professional will inform and enlighten you about the right choice of toothbrush.
Again, brushing technique and duration is a molehill that appears as a mountain for millions of Nigerians. Many overzealously brush in a wrong manner, and thereby destroy their gingival tissues. Some wear down their cementum, thereby causing sensitivity. Many others under-brush, spending less than 90 seconds and rarely brush their tongue or a use mirror to look at their mouth while brushing.
This is why it is beneficial to go routine dental check, where you can learn more about the proper way to handle oral home care.
Beyond these basics, routine check helps to save your tooth. More than 65 per cent of Nigerians, regardless of social status, see dentists or dental surgeons as doctors who just extract bad teeth. In other words, they believe people only visit the dental clinic just to remove a rotten or broken tooth.
Unfortunately, that’s not so. The primary object of the dentist is to preserve and save your tooth. There are several procedures that can be done as preventive and proactive care, to save your tooth for a life time.
As a person, I have in my mouth a tooth preserved since 1986, which is still serving me. It needs to be understood that the Lord Jesus Christ came to save, not to destroy. Therefore, a dental visit helps save your tooth and preserve it for a life time.
Routine dental visit could save you from social embarrassment which bad breath causes. Many people are suffering of this ignorantly, and unfortunately, given the sensitive emotional issue it can be, you may not have anyone who can courageously to tell you the truth.
When your gum bleeds often during brushing or you notice discoloured darkish brown or yellowish black stains on your teeth, you may be on the road to having bad breath or already have it. Unfortunately, change of toothpaste or using different mouth rinse or mouth wash may not help. Simply walk into a dental clinic and be delivered from the horrendous misery.
Know this for a certainty that routine dental visit may save your life. The truth is that the body is a complex, organic living unit comprising coordinated systems made up of various organs and tissues that are interconnected to function as one. Therefore, what affects one part may affect another. Some debilitating, non-communicable diseases may manifest early in mouth.
Some aggressive, highly malignant lesions may first manifest in the mouth. These include cancer, diabetes, haematological diseases, vitamin and nutritional deficiency diseases. Even some endocrine-based diseases can also manifest in the mouth.
Routine dental visit can give you whiter, brighter smile and healthy gum. Simple scaling and polishing, which entails stain removal, tooth whitening and gum disease management are benefits of routine dental check. Start today; go see a dentist nearest to you.