One way to save money is to spend money. This is contradictory statement but it is perfectly applicable to personal dental heatlh. Going to dentist for routine checkup can greatly benefit your dental health. By having periodic examination, dentist can detect small changes in your dental conditions. Small dental problems such as small cavity are often easy to fix and does not require much expenses. Also, periodontal diseases are readily manageable if they are detected and treated at its early stages.
I like to tell about this case about a patient who recently come to my office for infection in his gum. He said he always goes to Taiwan two times per year for dental cleaning. However, for some reasons, he was not aware that he has severe periodontal disease, especially severe bone loss in his front teeth. The periodontal abscess is what makes him come to see me. The severe bone loss demonstrates that he has severe periodontal disease and the prognosis for his teeth are poor. Those teeth might need to be extracted in order to prevent further bone loss to the adjacent teeth.
Perhaps, if he were able to have periodic dental examinations, his periodontal disease could be more readily treated. In United States, dentist would perform dental examinations when patient come in for cleaning visit.
