Dental News

Don’t Try DIY Dentistry

June 19, 2015

Professional dental care is always best. We offer many ways for you to afford this care.

Don’t Try DIY DentistryIn this day and age, with professional dental care readily available in virtually every community in the nation, it seems absurd to warn against DIY dentistry.

You might wonder:

Is DIY dentistry a real thing? Do people really try to do their own dental work?

The answer is yes—at least in the UK.

According to a 2,000-person survey commissioned by one UK dental practice, many Brits are living up to their stereotypical reputation for horrendous dental health by not getting proper preventative or restorative dental care.

The survey results showed that:

  • 38 percent of respondents had tried DIY dental care
  • 10 percent of men had attempted a tooth extraction
  • 5 percent of women had tried to remove their own tooth
  • 7 percent of men and 4 percent of women had not visited in dentist in over 10 years

What is DIY Dentistry?

At first these results may seem quite shocking. But when you look closely at the data and realize that the survey described DIY dentistry rather broadly as any sort of self-medication undertaken as an alternative to necessary dental care, the high rate of DIY dental care participants seems much more reasonable and relatable.

The 38 percent of survey respondents who admitted to practicing DIY dental care may have used one or more of these tactics:

  • Taking painkillers to treat a toothache
  • Reattaching their own loose crowns
  • Performing at-home fillings
  • Extracting one of their teeth

Don’t Try DIY. Get Professional Dental Care.

There’s nothing wrong with taking a painkiller to treat a toothache—provided, of course, that you pop that pill right after making an appointment with your dentist. It is absolutely essential to have any and all incidences of dental pain investigated by a quality dentist. After all, the types of problems that can cause dental pain—such as a cavity, a cracked tooth, an abscess, or a severe gum infection—do not just go away on their own. You need to do more than manage the pain. You need to get professional care to address the underlying problem that is causing the pain in the first place.

It should go without saying that extracting your own tooth is a horrible idea. The tooth structure actually extends far below the gum line, and it is virtually impossible for a layperson to extract all this material. If left in place or not properly cleaned, this material could lead to future infections and other problems. If you consult a dentist about your painful tooth rather than trying to extract it yourself, you may even discover that the tooth doesn’t need to come out at all. Dentists can often save even severely infected or decayed teeth by performing root canals and then covering the tooth with a crown.

You Can Afford to Visit California Dental Group

Often, the decision not to visit the dentist is motivated by fears that professional care will be too expensive. At California Dental Group, we never want to see cost stand in the way of a patient getting necessary dental care. That’s why we accept most kinds of insurance and offer a range of financing options and specials on our already affordable dental care. To learn more please contact one of our office locations today.

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