If you’re a fan of Sunnybrook’s YouTube channel, we may have “met” before — I (embarrassingly) appeared in a recent video confessing my long-standing fear of the dentist. A few frightening experiences — imagine mouth stitches bursting open and bleeding down my T-shirt in a grocery store parking lot — have led me to dread and thus avoid making my annual appointment to my periodontal probe-wielding friend.
But I’m certainly aware that going to the dentist is important. And to find out just how important (and to hopefully inspire me to make an appointment) I spoke with Dr. Melanie Gilbert, dentist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
“A trip to the dentist is about more than just your teeth,” she says. “A dentist is an oral health expert who is trained to identify normal and abnormal tissues throughout the head and neck region.”
Of course, your dentist will closely look at your teeth, Dr. Gilbert says. But he or she will also examine the surrounding tissue for other signs of trouble.
For example, your gums may show signs of disease.
“Bleeding gums can be an early sign of periodontal disease,” Dr. Gilbert says. “This condition, if left untreated, can lead to tooth loss.”
The dentist also checks out the function of your temporomandibular joint, the hinge that connects your jaw to your skull. Problems with this joint include arthritis and may lead to pain, headaches, difficulty chewing, or lockjaw.
Dentists are also trained to identify early signs of mouth and throat cancer. Catching these cancers early mean the best chance for treatment.
So then, how often should we be heading to the dentist office? That depends, says Dr. Gilbert.
“The frequency of dental exams and cleanings should be determined on an individual basis based on patient-specific risk factors,” she says. “Typically the interval will vary between 3 and 12 months.”
Whatever the time interval, it’s important to schedule regular visits with your dentist, Dr. Gilbert says.
In between visits, Dr. Gilbert says there are some easy things we can all do to care for our teeth and mouth.
“Brush at least twice a day, floss at least once a day, and eat a well-balanced diet,” she says. “Diets that are high in sugar put you at high risk for cavities. A diet with highly acidic foods can damage enamel. Certain foods and drinks are more likely to cause staining, like red wine and black coffee/tea.
“Avoid high-risk activities, such as smoking, heavy drinking and oral piercings that might harm your mouth or teeth.”
And, if you are scared of the dentist (hey, it’s a pretty common fear!) there are some tips for us too: be honest with your dentist about your anxiety, create a hand signal to let them know if/when you need and break, try deep breathing during your visit, and bring some music of your own that might help to keep you calm.
Since my mouth is a window to the rest of my health, I guess it’s time I get myself into that reclining chair!
A version of this post appears in the Town Crier newspaper in Toronto.
