According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 1 in 4 Americans suffer from untreated cavities or decay. The exact number was 27.5 percent, but we know that among some age demographics it is much higher than this. In children ages 12 to 15, for example, the cavity occurrence or decay ratio is actually 50 percent or 1 in 2. It is this kind of problem that we want our patient to avoid. One of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to do this is to come in once every six months and allow us to work on keeping your teeth healthy. Unfortunately, as we mentioned earlier, there has been an alarming trend of fewer people coming in to see their dentist than before. While we have not seen this at our Long Branch dentist office and there are many factors at play here, a recent study showed that between 2002 and 2012, the percentage of people who visited the dentist, at least once a year, dropped from 44.5 percent to around 42 percent. Already in the 40th percentile, we need to work harder so that people understand the importance of regular dentist visits as it relates directly to their oral health.
One of the most important things that we will do for you when you visit, on your next bi-annual examination, is to screen you for oral cancer. Oral cancer has become more common in patients and so we are recommending a regular screening. As your Long Branch dentist, we are in a unique position to find oral cancer in its earliest stages by noticing the lesions in the mouth or throat as soon as they appear, during a regularly scheduled examination. Finding cancer early is one of the best ways to prevent it from spreading and to aggressively treat it for a full recovery.