Monday, April 13, 2009

that time of the year


yep, the oral health month organized by colgate is in the month of april every year. so all throughout this month dental check ups are done for free in participating clinics. in conjunction with that i would like to give some guide to you guys on what to ask/query/pester your dentist:

1. calculus and scaling
- ask your dentist whether you have calculus, how bad is it and whether you need scaling or not. also ask him to show you the areas where calculus first appear so that you can check yourself at home. that way you can straight away detect whether calculus has formed or not, so you can determine yourself your need for scaling. you can also focus your brushing and flossing on that area to minimize calculus formation.

2. caries and filling
- some small caries lesions may not be apparent to the naked eye. one of the sign of small caries is sensitivity on one particular tooth that was not sensitive before. these cavities may be hidden in between teeth and that is where your dentist can help you in detecting it. other than that you can also ask your dentist to determine the conditions of your old fillings and he can tell you whether you need new filling or not.

3. sensitivity
- your dentist can check on why your teeth become sensitive and how can you solve that problem. there are numerous reasons for hypersensitivity and equally numerous ways to lessen it, from take-home solutions to in-office treatment.

4. wisdom teeth
- ask your dentist on the condition of your wisdom teeth, whether it has erupted or not. next is to ask whether these particular teeth is erupting upwards or its face is facing somewhere else. this is because wisdom teeth almost always gives certain degree of problems especially those ages between 18-40. this is so that you can prepare mentally on problems that might arise from your wisdom tooth.

5. others
- just ask anything that's been bugging you about your overall mouth condition, or you brothers' or your parents' or your children's. this is the chance for you to get to know everything for free! and don't forget to ask for freebies from colgate as well!!