When I got back, I went to my neighbour, Dr Chua (dentist) at Park Mall. At one glance, she knew something was not right. She immediately took some Xrays of my teeth and true enough, I had gum disease. The next four days were horrible as I had to put up with anesthetics and pain so that she can salvage the damage and pick up the slack of my previous dentist! Following the intensive treatment, my gums are now doing awesome, though the some of the damage are already irreversible.

This episode reminds me of something that I encounter everyday: Patients who suffer from degenerative diseases in the spine. It is very common to see degenerations on Xrays but it is not normal. Degenerations (commonly seen as bone spurs and decays in discs) are the results of long standing subluxations or misalignments in the spine. These degenerations are permanent and irreversible. Almost every patient who walks through our door has it – a sign that they have walked in to our office a little later than they should. Although degenerations need not be accompanied by pain or discomforts (such as numbness, tingling sensations), they can be. People who experience pain or discomforts often turn to painkillers but most do not realize that this is no different from me popping mentos to hide the cause of my bad breath. It is true that adjustments can be done without Xrays but at our clinic, we exercise extra caution by using Xrays, when necessary, to rule out degenerations that can interfere or modify our treatment.