"Totally agree on the balance thing. My daughter brushes and flosses religiously (probably better than me, honestly), but at her last checkup, the dentist spotted a tiny cavity starting between two back teeth."
Yeah, I've seen this happen a lot actually. Had a patient once who was super meticulous—I'm talking brushing after every meal, flossing daily, even rinsing regularly with fluoride mouthwash. Yet during a routine checkup, we caught an early cavity forming right between two molars. Those spots are sneaky... honestly, regular checkups really do help catch things before they become bigger (and pricier) problems. Better safe than sorry, I'd say.
"regular checkups really do help catch things before they become bigger (and pricier) problems."
True, but honestly, sometimes I wonder if dentists are a bit too quick to jump on these tiny cavities. I went in for my first checkup in years (yeah, I know, bad...) and they found a small cavity between two teeth. I panicked, but the dentist said it was super early and we could just monitor it closely. A year later, still no change. Makes me think sometimes waiting and watching isn't such a bad idea either...
I totally get what you're saying about waiting and seeing, especially if it's super tiny. But honestly, sometimes those little cavities can sneak up on you fast... I had one that seemed minor, dentist said we could wait, and within 6 months it went from "let's watch it" to needing a filling. Not saying your dentist is wrong or anything, just that teeth can be sneaky little things, lol.
"teeth can be sneaky little things, lol."
Haha, ain't that the truth... I've had similar experiences myself. A couple years back, my dentist spotted something tiny and said it was probably nothing to worry about yet—just keep an eye on it. Well, fast forward a year, and boom, suddenly it's filling time. So now I'm that person who asks fifty questions and double-checks every little detail at my checkups. Better safe than sorry, right? Teeth really do have minds of their own sometimes...
"Better safe than sorry, right? Teeth really do have minds of their own sometimes..."
Haha, seriously... I swear my teeth are plotting against me sometimes. I've always been pretty cautious about dental stuff, but ever since getting braces, I've become borderline paranoid. Like, every little ache or weird sensation has me googling symptoms at 2 AM (bad idea, btw). Does anyone else get anxious about those tiny changes between checkups? I mean, how do you even know what's normal shifting and what's something to actually worry about? Last time I went in convinced something was horribly wrong, my orthodontist just laughed and said everything looked perfect. Felt kinda silly afterward, but still... better safe than sorry is definitely my motto too. How do you guys handle that uncertainty between appointments—do you just wait it out or call your dentist right away?
