Taking care of your teeth

THE EDITOR: Many a Trini goes every six months to have their teeth cleaned by a dental hygienist, but the dentist never examines their teeth on these visits? Who is checking to determine how strong the teeth are in the bone? Are people being told that receding gums are all age related? Are these hygienists qualified? Do Trini dentists participate in certified continuing education courses to update their skills?

It is already too late when someone is sent to a gum disease specialist because the X-rays show that their bone loss in the gum area is too far gone. They are told nothing more can be done, just have their teeth cleaned every three months and use a mouth wash. So they lose more teeth?

In First World countries, there is a dental treatment to remove tartar under the gum called "freeze cleaning" that avoids further bone loss. This will ensure that we can have all of our teeth up to the day we die. Why is this treatment not popular and happening in TT?

Is it more profitable to extract someone's teeth one by one and eventually replace with them with expensive alternatives like dental implants or bridges?

If "freeze cleaning" does not work and the bone loss is too far gone in the gum area, then it may be necessary to do dental surgery to save the person from losing more teeth. The dentist and patient should have been talking to each other from a long time before. Worth thinking about?

PATRICIA BLADES

via e-mail