Many people don't see a dentist on a regular basis. They go only when
they feel they have a problem. At Percy Serrano DDS we call this "crisis treatment" as
opposed to "preventive treatment".
While these patients may feel they are saving money, it usually ends
up costing much more in both dollars and time. The reason for this is
that most dental problems don't have any symptoms until they reach the
advanced stages.
An example is tooth decay. At Percy Serrano DDS we hear all the time, "Nothing
hurts... I don't have any problems". But tooth decay doesn't hurt!
Until, that is, it gets close to the nerve of the tooth.
Then a root canal and crown are usually necessary, instead of the
small filling, which could have been placed several years ago when the
cavity was small. We can usually detect a cavity 3-4 years before it
may develop any symptoms. It is not uncommon to see a patient with a
tremendous cavity and they have never felt a thing!