I often hear from patients or people out of the office that this product or procedure is going to help me with this or that; a very general statement and can probably apply to a number of different things. Most of the time I get the feeling that many of these people honestly believe what they are telling me is a firm belief that all of their problems will be solved if they could just have this one procedure done. The reality of the situation is a lot different than they thought. It seems to me that there are some myths regarding dentistry and dental treatments floating around the general populace and in this edition of my blog I will address a few of them.
Addressing Dental Myths & Misinformation
Myth #1: “I’ll just let my teeth go because I’ll get implants to replace them.”
Every so often I will encounter a person who, if they just tried a little harder, could fix and maintain their teeth for the rest of their life but their expectations and attitude just don’t make sense. There are places out there that advertise that they will replace all your teeth with dental implants in just one day. Sounds really great but dental care is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Most of the time this treatment option will place 10 teeth on 4 implants (All-on-4®). Costs can range from 25 to 50 thousand per jaw. And there is no guarantee of long-term success with these treatments. Proper diet, excellent hygiene, and regular preventive care will almost always pay off in the long run.
Myth #2: “Wisdom teeth always need to be removed.”
This is not always the case. I have a few criteria that should be met when I decide whether or not someone should remove their wisdom teeth. The first is that there must be room for the teeth to erupt into the dental arch. The second is that the teeth must be maintainable by the patient. The third and most important from my standpoint is that they should be accessible for a dentist to treat if need be. Also, impacted wisdom teeth can remain in place as long as there is no evidence of any cystic destruction of the jaws when viewing X-rays.
Myth #3: “Only tobacco users get mouth cancer.”
This myth is something I would like to bring up because as of late there has been an increase in the number of younger people being diagnosed with stage three and four cancers. Why this is happening is yet unclear but to me this is worrisome. The most common form of oral cancer is squamous cell carcinoma. There are some well known risk factors that increase your chance of getting this disease and early detection is the key to treating it and not losing part of one’s jaw or let alone one’s life. These include tobacco, alcohol, age, and HPV infection. There are other less common cancers such as mucoepidermoid carcinomas, and even melanoma that can manifest in the oral cavity. This is another reason why regular visits to the dentist are so important.
Contact Us to Uncover Dental Truths
There are many more myths about dentistry, dental care, and dentists that I’ve considered in this edition of my blog but I don’t want to be too verbose at this time. I may consider a periodic blog entry regarding dental myths in the future. If anyone reading this blog has something they would like to bring to my attention regarding myths or facts, you may send me an email at charles@kattuahdds.com. If you would like to schedule a visit with me, please call 530-741-9411. I look forward to helping you navigate your dental health in Linda, Yuba City & Marysville, CA.