Boise Dentist Blog
The professional blog of Doctors Dan Bruce, Steve Bruce, Rosa Pothier and Rob Ririe
Silent Dental Disease
Yesterday, we saw someone who moved to Boise a couple of years ago. He did not see a dentist as he was getting settled and then never got around to it after that. He came to us with a complaint of high sensitivity to cold and sweets. These symptoms started about 1 week ago. After radiographic examination, we saw deep decay necessitating root canal treatment. The patient had never had any symptoms up to this point.
As the economy has slowed in the past few months, we have noticed a disturbing trend of people cancelling their hygiene appointments. Hygiene appointments serve some very valuable functions. First, sometimes a professional cleaning is the only way to remove calculus that gets stuck on the teeth causing inflammation and bleeding. Second, it is a good reminder of how and how often to brush, floss, and use other aids we may recommend (fluoride, periodontal aids, dry mouth rinses, etc.). Finally, it gives your dentist a chance to look at your teeth visually and with radiographs and fix problems before they start. We make a big deal of "conservative dentistry." This may mean doing a filling when necessary before the problem turns into a root canal. This may mean putting a crown on a cracked tooth before it breaks and has to come out, or diagnosing a night-time grinding habit before the teeth are severely worn and need crowns. This may even mean diagnosing periodontal disease before it gets worse and teeth become loose. Many of these things can occur without you knowing it, that is why it is so important to have preventative cleanings, exams and radiographs before easy fixes become big problems.
Dr. Dan Bruce, Dr. Rob Ririe and Dr. Steve Bruce are committed to practicing conservative dentistry. We want to give you all reasonable options for your situation and help you keep your teeth in the best shape possible for your entire life.