If you need an emergency dentist, you can always call Joondalup City Dental and we will find a way to get you taken care of. While it’s nice to have that convenience, it can also cause us to take dental care for granted. We would much rather have you come in once or twice a year on a program of regular dental care than have you come to us for a dental emergency.
Sometimes, though, it’s hard to convince people that a program of regular dental care keeps you from getting tooth decay, which is the root of most emergency dental care. Recently, though, we found a study proving that those who visit the dentist more often have less tooth decay. It comes from the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), who provide medical care to remote areas.
The RFDS flies into areas of the outback where there is almost no access to medical care. There is roughly one third of the access to medical care, including dentists, in the bush as compared to in cities. This causes a lot of medical and dental problems to go untreated on a chronic basis.
According to the RFDS, children in remote areas have 55% more tooth decay and adults have 40% more. For indigenous Australians, the number goes up to 57%. Gum disease, missing teeth and tooth extractions are also more common in remote areas than in cities. While the RFDS attributes a lot of the disparity to diet and non-fluoridated water, it also cites dental hygiene.
The bottom line: people who get regular dental care are less likely to have tooth decay and the complications thereof, such as tooth extractions which result in missing teeth. A regular checkup allowing the dentist to detect and treat tooth decay early can mean the difference between a routine filling and a root canal or extraction.
Please call us on (08) 9404 9500 or click here to book an appointment.
Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, we encourage you to discuss these matters with an appropriately qualified health practitioner.
