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I recently ran across an article about a study done in Australia where the objective was to determine the effectiveness of preventitive measures in decreasing cavities and the need for unnecessary dental work. This was especially interesting because it dovetails with my philosophy that more dentistry is not necessarily the best approach. I have found over the years that the conservative approach to oral health is usually the best.

What the researchers found in this study was that the program, which by the way was non invasive, was effective in lowering new and recurrent cavities. Not only was it effective, it was effective to the tune of more than 40 percent. That is huge. Imagine, by following preventitive care and proper home care you can have a significant effect on the number of cavities you get. This also means that you will have less dental work to fix and re-fix your teeth during your lifetime. I like the sound of that.

Says study co-author Associate Professor Wendell Evans, “Unfortunately,  the current payment rebate and remuneration process is weighted towards rewarding fillings performed and crowns fitted.”

Thankfully the focus of dentistry is still on prevention. Regular check ups, proper home care / oral hygiene,  and having your dentist teach you the ABC’s of how to keep your teeth healthy for your entire life are goals and habits I would encourage everyone to adopt. The average time between cleanings should be 6 months unless you are one of those lucky people who don’t build up tartar. Young ones should start going to the dentist, hopefully a holistic dentist, at around 4 years of age. Just find someone who loves working with children.

As far as I’m concerned, preventive dental health is still better than the cure.