Gainesville Medical Directory
Health Spotlight

Our Health Spotlight is an archived collection of articles about our communities' physicians and healthcare events. The topics range from articles on specific health or medical procedures to endearing stories submitted by health professionals.

If you are a healthcare provider or service and wish to submit an article to Gainesville Medical Directory Health Spotlight, please send to:healthspotlight@gainesvillemedicaldirectory.com

Please limit the article to no more than 300 words and a single photo.

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How many times have you heard a friend, relative, or maybe even yourself utter this very common question? It is a perfectly normal response. Your dentist has just informed you that you have a problem; perhaps a cavity, gum disease, a cracked tooth, or a failing filling. The automatic response in many cases is: “It isn’t hurting me, so how can it be so bad?”

There is a very important fallacy with this line of thought when it comes to dental problems. By the time pain is involved, it may be too late to try to fix the problem. At the very least, it will probably be more expensive and much more difficult. Nonetheless, many people don’t visit their dentist until there is a painful situation involved.

How can you avoid this problem? Regular dental visits and exams are your best defense. For most people, this means semi-annual visits to their dentist with check-up x-rays taken once a year. The exam done by the dentist will include a careful check of the teeth and gums as well as an oral cancer screening to look for abnormalities of other structures in the mouth. These exams are usually done in conjunction with cleanings. There are many other preventive measures that can be taken at these appointments such as fluoride treatments, sealant placement, and local antibiotic therapy. These will be the topic of another discussion. With this regimen of cleanings and exams in place, dental and periodontal disease can usually be detected early and treated with a minimum of time, expense, and discomfort involved.

So, the next time you find yourself in the dentist’s chair and he/she is telling you “We need to fix this before it becomes a more serious problem,” take the advice to heart. Early detection and treatment means an easier cure. But most of all, remember the old saying: “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” See your dentist regularly for cleanings and exams. If it has been a while, call today. Whatever you do, though, please don’t wait until something “hurts” to fix it.

www.gainesvilledentist.com