Did you recently get a letter through your door, an email, or a text message reminding you it is time for you biannual dental check-up? Are you thinking about skipping it? Don’t!
Although it may be a nuisance and causes about as much excitement as watching paint dry, dentistry in Harley Street and other general dental practices are important for maintaining your oral health, but are also required to help you keep your whole body in good health too.
You are going to gain more from that dental check-up than you will lose, so before you throw the letter away, or delete that email and wait for an emergency to visit your dentist, consider the other benefits of general dentistry in Harley Street.
Early identification
Prevention is better than cure; nowhere is that more relevant than in dentistry.
While your dentist can recognise early indicators of issues like gum disease, tooth decay or excessive plaque build-up, they are also trained to recognise more ominous issues too.
If you are a smoker, it is advisable that you visit your dentist at least twice a year for oral cancer screening; if you don’t smoke, but have a weakened immune system due to medication or illness, it is important that you stay in regular contact with your dentist.
Basic dental work if needed
Although it is difficult to enjoy having a filling, it is important to have one if needed to prevent further decay of the tooth and most importantly, to stop the pain and prevent further issues.
If a tooth needs filling but is left for a sustained period, it may decay further, leading to an abscess, a root canal or even an extraction in the future.
If your dentist identifies a minor cavity or the beginning signs of one, they can apply a fluoride gel to harden the enamel and prevent you needing any further work on that tooth.
White fillings
If you have decay at the front of your mouth, you may be worried about your dentist filling it with a large, black, metal filling.
Today dentistry in Harley Street, means metal based fillings are being phased out in favour of white, composite based ones. They are more aesthetically pleasing and are hardier to temperature changes that may occur in the mouth due to consumption of hot and cold beverages and foods.
Referrals
If you require further work than one of our dentists can offer, they will refer you. This can be to another dental professional, like an orthodontist for braces or a hygienist for preventative dentistry.
When your dentist becomes concerned about a swelling or lump in your mouth, they are able to refer you to a specialist for a check-up and further diagnostic work, to determine what the lump or swelling actually is. This can be life saving and more often than not reassuring, as that dental lump you are worried about is probably benign.
Call us today about general dentistry.