The importance of getting ahead of the curve

As a Doctor, I have a real problem with the old adage “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”! It does not work for everyone and at all times, more importantly it causes a lot more damage and costs a lot more to fix it once it’s broken.

The old adage that is my favorite though, is “An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.”

Not all adages are outdated after all. 😊

Medicine is now in an era where we are looking to find the root cause of an ongoing problem or symptom. While it is prudent to treat the effect, anything we do to merely band-aid something without addressing the root cause of the issue, is bound to fall apart, eventually.

While many people have navigated the difficult times these past few years in our own ways and many of us are continuing to cope with the after effects of it, sometimes, life consumes us and we forget to take care of ourselves. 

Whether it is healthy nutritional habits, exercising, taking time off for mental health or visiting your doctors regularly, some things have to be taken care of, pandemic or otherwise.

Teeth, oral tissues and muscles are one of the most used in our body. Would you believe me if I said that we put our teeth to use for about 1000 hours a year?! That is for those of us who aren’t clenching and grinding at night too. 😉

Every tooth was given to us for adequate and optimal function just like our 10 fingers were, our 10 toes were or two eyes were. Can we function without one? Sure, but will that be optimal, no, not for our health. Apart from affecting nutrition, which is central to a healthy disease-free lifestyle, teeth and oral structures play a very vital role in maintaining facial bone, airway and breathing all the way up to even hearing.

Extensive research has been done on how accumulation of unhealthy bacteria on the teeth and gums actually causes heart attacks and cardio-vascular diseases.

Are we going to be completely disease free with regular check ups and maintenance? Probably not. But can we minimize the loss, pain and costs associated with it? A hundred percent.

It is always easier to treat, when it is caught early, cavities or cancer.

Again, as the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.

-Dr. Aarthi Raghavan, BDS, DMD