Dr Sandra Garcia Martin is one of our amazing dentists that work with us here at The Kensington Dentist. She works at our practice in Kensington on Mondays. Today, she sat down with Hannah, another member of the Kensington Dentist team to bust some common dental myths.
Hannah: Hi everyone, so today I am here with the lovely Dr Sandra and today we are going to be busting some dental myths.
Number one: This is a common question we get. I do not need to see a dentist, I have no pain.
Dr Sandra: Wrong. It is like going to the doctor only when something hurts, obviously if you go for checkups every six months, well we recommend every 6 months or maximum once a year, you can avoid pain and you can avoid any problems happening.
Okay, another dental myth, sugar is the only cause of cavities.
Dr Sandra: No! Not only sugar, not having good oral hygiene is another cause, leaving food behind is not advisable. So it is not only sugar, its acids as well and many other things.
We also get a lot of questions around whitening. Does whitening damage your teeth?
Dr Sandra: Again, wrong. It does not damage your teeth. The percentages we are legally allowed, (that’s why we have to do teeth whitening for longer, it’s no longer the 1 hour in the surgery to get an incredible result), is because the percentages of hydrogen peroxide, (the product we use to whiten teeth) are very low, by law. There is no way it can damage your teeth. So that myth is a no!
Another Dental Myth: You will always know if you have a cavity because you will feel pain.
Dr Sandra: No. When you feel pain it is because it has gone too low, and it’s very close to the nerve. That means that the filling you will need is going to have to be bigger and hopefully you will not need a root canal. Definitely when you have pain, it’s because it has travelled too far, too close to the pulp of the tooth.
That’s why you do regular checkups! Thank you so much Dr Sandra.
Sandra: You are welcome!
Let this be a good reminder to not neglect your dental health checkups and dental hygiene visits. Every 6 months!