How valuable is preventive care, you wonder? Sometimes, it’s easy to talk ourselves into or out of feeling like something is worthwhile. When it comes to preventing problems from arising with your oral health, our perspective follows: Prevention is invaluable, of course! As for the details regarding why we think this way, consider some questions and answers.

Questions and Answers: Prevention

Question: What’s the point of spending money on a cleaning and a checkup if I just saw you six months ago, my smile was healthy, and I’ve been brushing and flossing ever since?

Answer: It’s called preventive care for a reason: Because it helps prevent problems. As long as your smile is healthy, it’s working, which means in order to keep your smile healthy, you need to keep practicing the prevention. Remember that what looks like a healthy smile to you may be one that has early signs of a problem (which only we will recognize) or that has hidden tartar. Keep scheduling those visits!

Question: Why come in for preventive care after I end up with a cavity? Doesn’t that mean it isn’t really working?

Answer: Not necessarily. There’s a long list of things that could be happening to lead to that cavity. Maybe you need to brush differently or floss more often. Perhaps you’ve been eating certain foods that have contributed. Keep in mind that without prevention, your smile might have presented six cavities instead of just one. In addition, finding and treating a cavity early prevents the decay from growing.

Question: I know prevention is valuable but sometimes it doesn’t fit within my budget. Is there any way to work around this stumbling block?

Answer: Of course. Remember that you may wish to purchase dental insurance, which generally covers your preventive care. Or, you may apply to CareCredit, our third-party financing option that will give you the chance to enjoy low monthly payments.