The old saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” might work for your lawn mower, but in dentistry, it’s a recipe for disaster.
Just because your teeth “don’t hurt” doesn’t mean they’re fine—cavities, cracks, abscesses, oral cancer and gum disease love to hide out until it’s too late and too expensive. (If someone calls with a toothache, they often need an extraction or root canal at that point)
Waiting for pain is like waiting for your car engine to explode before changing the oil.
There are several hi-tech devices we use that can reveal problems on teeth that have no pain.
Osstell: measure the chance that your dental implant is failing
Pulp testers: helps diagnose the need for root canal treatment
Digital X-rays: finds decay not detected upon a live exam
Intra Oral Camera: finds cracks that x-rays never find.
Dr. JJ:
Write about other examples of why the adage If it aint broke don’t fix it results in bad news for teeth. Maybe tell a real story of a patient who has said this to you and what work they needed. Or what happened when they refused treatment.