Dental problems can creep up on you. It’s not simply a case of having healthy teeth one month, then needing dental implants the next.

Many of our patients come to us after years, sometimes decades, of discomfort and pain. Often they say the same thing: “I can’t believe I let it get so bad.”

Yet we can certainly understand how it happens.

Maybe first a couple of teeth at the back of the mouth get loose and fall out because of gum disease. But nobody can see them, so perhaps it’s ok.

You hope the pain doesn’t get worse, so optimistically avoid seeing the dentist about it because perhaps now the bad teeth are gone, things will sort themselves out.

But the discomfort continues, and the infection spreads. Now you avoid the dentist, not because you think it’s getting better, but because you can’t bear the idea of a letting instruments near such a sore mouth. As you’d imagine, it then becomes a dangerous cycle that people get trapped by.

Break the cycle of discomfort

Eventually what finally convinces many people to seek our help is that they lose a tooth at the front of their mouth. Six may have already gone from the back, but it’s when it stops people from smiling in public that they decide it’s time to act.

However, some people will think they still need to get a healthy mouth before they can think about implants. They assume they need to get rid of their infection first before we can help them. But that’s not the case.

For many people, they never get to the point where the infection is under control. Their mouths become so painful that they daren’t put a brush anywhere near their teeth.

If they go to the dentist, the pain is even worse, so they avoid that too. So if they can’t clean their teeth and won’t let anyone else either, how will they ever get them into a good enough condition for dental implants?

No need to wait

The good news is that you don’t need to get rid of the infection before you come to see us. If you keep delaying it, you will lose more and more structure in the bones of your mouth and jaw, and that will make securing implants more difficult. The longer you leave it, the harder it gets.

And there’s no need to ask your dentist to take all your teeth out in preparation either. Again, it’s better if we do that, because then we can make sure your mouth is in the best possible condition for implants.

At TDC we see many patients who have made it so much harder for themselves by putting off their treatment. So our advice is that even if you think it’s too early for dental implants – or if your regular dentist says your teeth are too unhealthy – come and see us for a free consultation*.

If we think you’re being premature and there is a way of helping your teeth and gums back to health, we will certainly say so and you won’t have lost anything. But if dental implants are for you, making an early decision could end up saving you years of pain and give you back the confidence you once had.

As one of our patients said: “I have only one regret – why did I leave it so long? This treatment has literally transformed my life.”

If you are interested in our in Smile a Day therapy, arrange your free consultation* and we can talk you through it all. Alternatively, you can call 020 3553 6415 for a chat.