Have you been afraid or embarrassed to see a dentist? Here's a patient's story you may want
This is the story of a patient who came to us for help. This patient (who wants to remain anonymous) hasn’t been to a dentist in over 10-15 years. This is not an unusual for us, but it was a big deal to this patient. Over those 10-15 years, he didn’t take the best care of his teeth. He didn’t floss, he brushed once per day. Another situation he had was that he has been on several medications. Did you know that certain medications can play a role in you having dry mouth? And dry mouth leads to cavities. (Other causes of dry mouth include mouth breathing, chemo/radiation and/or cancer medications).
Dry mouth means that you have less saliva in your mouth. This increases your chances of cavities and gum disease because your natural saliva slows the rate at which bacteria can multiply. So when you have a dry mouth, bacteria increases at a faster rate. This causes plaque and plaque causes decay.
Our anonymous patient wants to share his story because he wants to “help people who are too embarrassed to go to a dentist because it’s been so long since they’ve been to a dentist.”
He expects that he will have 7-10 cavities, need implants, need root canals, and have advanced periodontal disease. He was thinking that he is a lost cause and was almost going to “just wait another 10 years and then just get dentures.” How-ever during a recent doctor visit, he found out from his general doctor that dental care relates to his overall health. He wouldn’t be able to wait for his teeth to all fall out. He needed to get back on the road to oral health. Stat!
Step one was make the appointment! It was hard for him but he did it. He warned us about his anxiety. We chose to match him with Dr. Pudlewski.
Here’s a look at Patient X’s mouth right now. You can click on the photo to enlarge if you'd like.
Dental Anxiety is a real issue for many Americans. Dr. Pudlewski has techniques that help her patients make it through every visit without needing heavy medications. Her years of experience combined with a sensitivity to patient's needs, all topped with a calming sense of humor has helped thousands of patients to overcome their dental anxiety and to have amazing and healthy smiles again. The secret is trust. There are so many stories out there about doctors that have ruined trust for patients. Bad experiences, bad child hood dentist stories, misinformation... we hear about this every day. Dr. P. and the entire Buffalo Dental Advanced Cosmetics team have built our reputation on trust.
We give you options and show you WHY things happen. You always steer the ship. They are YOUR teeth. We follow what you want/need/understand.
Back to our secret patient. Dr. P. examined him. Turns out he doesn't need root canals or implants. He does have beginning periodontal disease. He does have two old crowns and an old bridge that need replacing. He also has 4 cavities. He will benefit from a preliminary scaling & root planing visit as opposed to a "normal" hygiene cleaning which he agrees with.
Next blog is Patient X's scaling visit! Stay tuned~
