Preventive dentistry is crucial to avoid dental problems requiring expensive treatments in the future

Good general health starts with good oral health.

I don’t mean to scare you with this article…but you NEED to be considering how your oral health can impact your overall health.

It may be a hard thing to accept, but what goes on in your mouth can have a domino effect on your whole body.

‘I didn’t think it was that big a deal’. This is a heartbreaking sentence to hear, but unfortunately, the team at Chats Dental hear it all too often.

Patients have let an issue roll on for a little too long and they are either in considerable pain as a result or a small issue has snowballed into a big issue that requires a larger, more expensive treatment. This goes beyond just general dentistry.

Some scary stats

Again, not trying to scare you, but the stats really speak for themselves. This is straight out of a 2019 Oral Health & Dental Care In Australia report by the AIHW

‘Australians aged 15 and over have an average of 12.8 decayed, missing or filled teeth. In 2016–17, about 70,200 hospitalisations for dental conditions may have been prevented with earlier treatment.’

70,200 hospitalisations may have been prevented in a year, that is massive!

And the solution “is just…so…simple.

Enter, Preventive Dentistry, a general dentist’s best friend!

Some of the problems we commonly get consulted on include:

We love the beautiful people of Chatswood who we get to interact with, but we would much prefer to see them in a preventive rather than in a treatment capacity.

Some of the common problems we help consult on:

So how does this affect my overall general health?

It’s a little-known fact, but good oral hygiene also helps in reducing the risks of diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, respiratory disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

But it’s also more than this. Preventive dentistry will allow us to identify possible issues before they even arise. Regular dental check-ups can help us stop pain before it even starts.

Now, we’re not saying we have a crystal ball here…BUT the team at Chats Dental have a few tricks up our sleeve to identify when there is an issue that needs attention.

A simple oral examination and X-Ray can give us all the necessary information to make a complete analysis of your mouth and identify any issues that if left untreated, could become very expensive.

How often should I be visiting the dentist?

Put simply, twice a year. This is common practice to ensure a healthy mouth.

This is not a hard and fast rule. We will tell you the frequency you should be visiting us when we have a better understanding of what’s happening in your mouth. Sometimes it may even be less.

Good oral health is not just about brushing, flossing, eating well and rinsing your mouth, it’s also about identifying problems before they even start.

This is the beauty of preventive dentistry. It truly is one of the most important things you can do for your overall health and well-being.

And you know what’s even better? For those of you with private health fund extras cover, the cost of your preventive dental care may be covered. Use it otherwise you lose it! So why wait?

Schedule an appointment with Chats Dental today and we will give you a full breakdown on the state of your oral health.