COCHRANE— Routine care is one of the most important aspects of preventative oral health care.
Dr. Justin Kerr of Sunset Ridge Dental said one of the best steps to keep teeth healthy is preventative care. Sunset Ridge Dental offers comprehensive family dentistry and encourages patients to visit to ensure their teeth stay healthy and strong.
“What I believe strongly in is preventive care which means having your teeth checked once a year by a dentist,” Kerr said. “Prevention is the top thing. If you wait until you are feeling a cavity it means it’s probably close to the nerve and when you get tooth pain that’s not a good time.”
Cochrane is a great town and the clinic strives to treat patients like family. Kerr said the goal is keeping the community safe and making sure people are making good dental health choices.
Patients should never ignore tooth pain, Kerr said, because the longer it is neglected the worse a problem can get. This can result in a more expensive fix or the loss of a tooth.
“Ignoring tooth pain can a lot of times create bigger issues,” Kerr said. “Just like anything if you hear a click in your car and you ignore that, it could have been an easy little fix. But, then you go the mechanic and it's worse because you let it go for a year— It’s the same kind of philosophy.”
There are three preventative steps people can take to look after their teeth— Home care with diligent brushing and flossing of teeth, eating a good diet and going to the dentist at least once a year to get your teeth checked by a dentist.
Sunset Ridge Dental practice preventive checkups and encourage patients to visit every six months. During the check-up, the dentist and hygienist will see you and then six months later a patient will see just the hygienist.
“Prevention is the number one thing. Don’t wait until something hurts because sometimes it could be too late,” Kerr said.
A lot of people can be scared to visit the dentist based on a bad experience when they were younger and this fear can prevent people from coming in for a visit.
To help dispel these anxieties, Kerr said, Sunset Ridge Dental explains all steps of a visit and works to ensure patients understand any question they have will be answered.
The cost of procedures can also be intimidating for patients.
“Dentistry can be expensive, I basically run a mini-hospital here, so dental costs are expensive just like any other health care costs,” Kerr said.
People can come to the dentist thinking they have no say in what their treatment is, but Kerr works to ensure patients have more than one option available.
“There’s always an alternative— There’s an ideal treatment, there’s an alternative treatment and there’s a hold-treatment plan,” Kerr said. “We need to take care of the problem, but, there are options.”
He tells all patients when they sit in the chair they are in control and make decisions about their treatment, because the most important person in the dental room is the patient.
“You guys are my boss. I work for you. I’ve gone to school so I can get all the knowledge so I can treat you well and take good care of you."
