Change the Oil in Your Mercedes

I see patients in my office who have previously committed
significant amounts of time and money to have their teeth
restored. They have replaced missing teeth, repaired damaged
ones, straightened them, and enhanced the appearance of
their pearly whites through a variety of cosmetic procedures.
Most of these folks recognize the importance of follow up care
to preserve their investment, but there are some who neglect
simple maintenance after the hard work has been done.

I don’t understand this. It’s like someone who makes the
commitment to buy a Mercedes Benz, a durable, high quality
product, but then neglects regular oil changes even though
the cost of this service is just a small fraction of the original
purchase price.

Recently I saw a patient who had extensive dental
restorative work done several years ago. It was a time and
cost intensive project which made a dramatic improvement in
both the patient’s dental function and appearance. When the
work was completed, this person did not return to my office
for several years until they were in pain. Nor did the patient
seek out follow up care anywhere else during the interim. As a
result, additional complex treatment will be required to bring
this patient back to optimal dental health. All this could have

been avoided by following a plan of regular maintenance and
repair.

So what does this mean to you? Whether your teeth have
been restored by a dentist or you have all your natural teeth,
the key to keeping them working well and looking good for
a long time is regular maintenance. Even if you don’t have
dental insurance, the cost of regular care is much less than
the cost of major repairs—just the same as an automobile.
You may not have a Mercedes in the garage, but you have
something just as valuable in your mouth. Take care of it.

Yours for excellent dental health,