Raising awareness

Many of us will have heard our patients say how they dread getting the letter, text or email inviting them to attend their dental check-up. I think we are all familiar with the lines “Oh gosh, I hope I don’t need a filling” or “I’m so nervous to go, I’m sure I need a tooth out!” Some will even avoid answering the recall due to the fact that they don’t think they need any treatment – “It’s a waste of time and money, I’m fine!”

Yes, it’s true, a check-up is generally to diagnose deterioration in the teeth and to determine what treatment needs doing, and also to check if the dreaded scale and polish is needed. When patients are regimental with their oral hygiene and their diet is healthy, they could be forgiven for thinking that it’s okay not to bother attending check-up appointments.