Are you sometimes tempted to ignore those six monthly reminders we send you? Dr Zaki Bashir, and all the dental team here at Bromley Dental Practice realise this is all too easy to do, especially if your teeth feel and look fine to you. However there are lots of important reasons for picking up the phone and booking that appointment. Regular preventative dental care is the very best way to help keep your teeth and gums healthy, and is likely to save you money and time in the future. Common diseases such as tooth decay and gum disease can often be easy to miss.

Tooth Decay

Your dentist in Bromley will carefully examine your teeth for any signs of erosion or lesions in your tooth enamel. These could indicate the beginnings of a cavity, and at this stage we may be able to treat them with fluoride applications, or where necessary a small filling. Smaller fillings are also cheaper fillings, and will help to preserve the rest of your tooth. Leaving tooth decay until it becomes painful will be much more costly to treat. If a tooth causes pain then the decay could have reached the central part of the tooth, an area called the pulp and which contains all the nerves and blood vessels to the tooth. An infected pulp will require root canal in Bromley, and the affected tooth may need a larger filling or even a crown to restore it to health.

Gum Disease

Gum disease is often called a silent disease. Early signs such as gums that bleed when brushed, or which feel a bit tender, can be all too easy to ignore. These are the sort of things your dentist in Bromley will pick up on. A professional cleaning, combined with better dental care at home could be all that is required to get your gums back in the pink. If you leave this disease then it will destroy your gums, the ligaments supporting your teeth, and even the bone surrounding your teeth. Eventually you may find you lose some or even all of your teeth. Gum disease, or periodontal disease can also affect your general health, and not in a good way. Studies have linked it to numerous common diseases including diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and heart disease.

Mouth Cancer

Finally, a simple check-up with your dentist in Bromley could even save your life. Your check-up includes a screening for mouth cancer, a disease that is frequently diagnosed late in the day when treatment is not always successful. This simple check will only take a couple of minutes, but will enable our dentists to see if there are any lesions or ulcers, or any changes in the colour of your oral tissues. Early diagnosis will mean treatment has a much higher chance of success, and it is likely to be less invasive.

All it takes is an hour or so every six months, and less than ten minutes each day to help keep your teeth and gums, and your whole mouth as healthy as possible. Regular professional cleanings will also help put a sparkle in your smile through removing some of those surface stains from your teeth.