In Ireland we are blessed with a range of professional, dedicated, and experienced local dental services. We have an excellent selection of general dental practitioners providing care for the community and a range of more specialised dentists providing oral surgery, periodontics (gums ), endodontics (root canal ), orthodontics, (braces ), paedodontics (children’s dentistry ), technicians, and technology to rival anywhere in the world.
I always tell patients when you see your local dentist he/she can avail of any of the range of skills of all his/her colleagues with a simple phone call and refer you for either a second opinion or more complex treatment. So you do not have one dentist. You have a team of dentists who can work together to provide a range of services and you have it locally.
So let’s list a few points:
Monitor, measure, maintain
Prevention is the cornerstone of modern dentistry. This means repeated, regular, consistent visits to the dentist and hygienist to monitor and identify any changes and need for treatment.
1. Change can only be measured against a record of the past. Your local dentist has your records and your x-rays. He/she can see you every year and will be able to compare and spot changes early, intervening where necessary.
2. Everyone will always tell you the best way to find a dentist is by personal recommendation. It is about finding a team to look after you with whom you can communicate with comfort and confidence. Your comfort and confidence is in your dentist’s interest.
3. When you need a dentist urgently, it is great to have one on your doorstep.
4. Dentistry is not a product-based service. It is not like buying a car or a kitchen. Whether you need a filling, a crown, veneers, a root canal treatment, denture, or implant, all dental procedures require follow up. Maintenance is essential for success. Knowledge of the clinical details of treatment that has been provided in the past facilitates professional care.
5. Your local dentist wrote your records. He/she knows you, wants you to come back, knows his/her reputation depends on providing a good solution for you, and knows what has been done and what materials have been used.
6. If you had laboratory work done (crowns, implants, dentures ), your dentist knows the technician who made them. In fact he/she chose the technician for you to provide you with the best solution for your requirements. Your dentist has prescribed the materials and technique on your behalf from a technician he/she trusts.
7. The dental professional body and legal system are easy to access in your own country and in your own language for any further advice or concerns if you have any issues following treatment.
You need your dentist and your dentist needs you.
You only need to clean the teeth you want to keep.
Dr Paul Moore BDS
