Prevention and early diagnosis is the best medicine when it concerns your teeth. To avoid costly dental procedures down the road, it’s advisable to visit the dentist every 6 months. These visits can achieve a great deal for your dental health and wellness. It’s rare for someone to get cavities, gums disease or other serious dental problems when visiting the dentist regularly.
Goals of a Routine Dental visit
During your routine visit the goal of your dental team is to make sure that your teeth are free from cavities and the existing dental work is in good shape. We’ll also check the health of your gums and perform a cleaning to remove any plaque build-up on the teeth.
The importance of Dental X-Rays
Current technology allows us to use digital dental x-rays. One advantage is that they emit almost no radiation as compared to traditional x-rays where developing film was involved. For people at the low end of risk for cavities, taking just four x-rays to check between the molars for cavities may be recommended every 6 months. For those of us with more extensive dental work such as crowns and root canals or at a higher risk for cavities may require additional x-rays to be taken routinely.
Professional Dental Cleanings
No matter how much you excel at brushing and flossing at home, there are still places where plaque will tend to accumulate. When plaque accumulates it causes inflammation and bleeding of the gums. During a professional dental cleaning every area of the mouth will be thoroughly cleaned and examined. Removing plaque is important to prevent gingivitis and future problems with the gums. Your dental professional will use an ultrasonic tool to gently remove plaque and stain build-up, then check all areas with minor scraping, floss and polish your teeth to give them a nice shine.
Offering Tips for Oral health
Dentists can offer up tips to help improve your oral health. There may be areas that need extra flossing or cavities that are beginning to form but with extra care can be arrested without any dental intervention. Dentists can also spot if you’re grinding your teeth at night and a night guard may be helpful. A dental professional can recommend best dental products to buy, what to use, and things to avoid. These pearls can greatly benefit your oral health.
Discussing your Dental Health Concerns
We often find that when it comes to dentistry, the internet may not always have the correct answers. Seeing your dentist to discuss your concerns will alleviate your concerns and make sure that you’re getting the correct advice to benefit your oral health. Many patients are interested in teeth whitening. A dental professional can evaluate whether you’re a good candidate for teeth whitening and set realistic expectations before starting the procedure.
Prevent Emergencies and costly dental treatment
It’s very rare for us to find serious dental issues in patients who visit the dentist routinely. Dental professionals can stop dental problems from occurring by informing patients what to focus on at home and areas that need improvement. Catching cavities while they’re still small can prevent costly dental emergencies that may require procedures such as crowns, extractions, implants and root canals. Helping patients have healthy gums and good oral hygiene prevents gum disease down the road.
