Prevention is Better Than Patching!

If while driving, heaven forbid, you have ever accidentally zoned out and struck another vehicle with your front fender, you know how much easier it is to prevent an accident than it is to pay for one in time and money.  Nowadays, we have the luxury of having fenders and our car bodies replaced with new parts, but there was a time when hammering out the dents and using Bondo before repainting were the only options.  In a way, this can be compared to what happens when we 'zone out' and neglect our oral health.  It costs much less in time and money to prevent the decay or gum disease than it is to patch things up.  Most unfortunately, we have no current method to regrow your teeth or your gums/bone, so once we remove the cavity or once the gum disease has taken your bone, we have only the option of patching things up, or cleaning things out, and maintaining the new condition.  As your dentist knows, once the tooth is patched, it is susceptible to needing another patch later, often progressing to larger treatment.  It is better to prevent than patch!