Why do I need to see a dentist when my teeth don't hurt?

"This article originally appeared in the Wanaka Dental Tooth-care Journal"

You may wonder why we recommend regular dental check ups at Wānaka Dental.

"But why do I need to see a dentist when my teeth don't hurt" - you ask?

Well folks, did you know that dental decay and gum disease typically don't cause pain until the later stages?

Early detection of these conditions allow us to provide you with advice, tools, products and techniques to stabilise early decay and gum disease. We can also pick up on developmental problems and oral cancer. If treatment is needed, identifying problems earlier will result in more conservative and less costly treatment. Think of a filling instead of a root canal treatment, or a hygiene clean rather than getting a wobbly tooth!

Another common question we get asked is "Why do we need to take x-rays, can't you see if there is a hole in my tooth?"

X-rays help to identify small issues before they become big problems, and they allow the dentist to view areas that cannot be seen by the naked eye. The most common area for decay to occur is between the teeth in the interproximal space, this decay will be painless and generally unnoticeable until it progresses to the stage where it is visible in the mouth. Unfortunately by the time we can see it with the naked eye, it has also most likely infected the nerve of the tooth which indicates a root canal may be needed. 

We could bore you all day with many other reasons for taking x-rays at a check up appointment, but another important reason is checking alveolar (jaw) bone levels and for calculus (tartar) that may be causing gum disease. Heavy calculus can be visible on the x-ray and we can check successive x-rays at your examination appointment to ensure all calculus has been removed and you are not having any bone loss due to gum disease. 

Generally speaking, for a good preventative plan we recommend an annual check up with the dentist and a twice yearly appointment with one of our oral health therapists or dental hygienists. However, in some cases we may like to see you sooner, for example if you have high decay risk due to your profession, lifestyle or medical history or you have active gum disease.

The best place to start is with a general dental check up which you can book here.

Or if you have had a check up recently but are due for a dental hygiene clean you can book here.