I am passionate about prevention – preventing tooth and gum problems in the first instance. Rather be the fence at the top of the cliff than the ambulance at the bottom – experience shows that this approach is better, cheaper and less stressful for all concerned.

If “knowledge is power”, then imparting you with the knowledge to (better) care for your mouth is empowerment. Dentists should be guided by the dental literature (evidence base) in all that we do.

Two excellent research papers about caries management can be read at these URLs:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8757692/

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1834-7819.2007.00004.x

The latter paper advises:

“The dentist’s main responsibility towards all patients is to help them understand three facts:

(a) that serious dental disease is not inevitable;

(b) that oral health is relatively simple to attain; and

(c) that tooth repairs and replacement parts do not come with lifetime guarantees; they are subject to breakdown necessitating lifelong maintenance including, from time to time, replacement. “

I take my oral healthcare responsibility to patients  seriously, having a professional duty to inform patients about the health of their teeth and gums. I advise any treatment that is necessary for oral health –  healthy teeth and gums.  If no treatment is required (yes, it is does happen !) then I say so. I care about a healthy smile for every one of my patients.  What patients do with the information I give is up to them – respecting patient autonomy. Patients are free to either follow the advice or to ignore it. I genuinely hope for the former as I know from experience that tooth and gum problems do not resolve by themselves.

Patients who attend for regular exams, cleanings and have good home oral health care habits experience far fewer problems than those who attend for emergencies only. Costs and stress associated with delaying treatment are always greater than preventive treatments. Research is increasingly showing a link between oral health and general health – another reason to ensure that the mouth is healthy. A healthy body needs a healthy mouth.