Can you still remember the last time you had an appointment with your dental specialist? If you can’t answer that question then it’s time for you to visit your dental expert. Unfortunately, a lot of people think that it’s not necessary to go to the dental clinic for a checkup not unless you’re feeling pain or toothache already. However, if you want to maintain strong teeth and healthy gums, you need to visit your specialist at least twice a year. While others who have serious oral conditions need to go more frequently.
It cannot be stressed enough how important it is to have your teeth checked & cleaned annually. Dental cleaning and examination is essential if you want to avoid developing tooth decay, gum diseases and other similar oral health problems that will require treatment in the future.
What You Can’t See Might Hurt You
Did you know that a lot of our patients don’t notice that they have issues until it’s already too late? It’s usually when they’re already suffering in pain because of a toothache. A simple warning to our patients, problems may not even be evident until they’ve reached an irreparable state. Our advice, don’t wait until you feel excruciating pain to come in.
The reason for this is because normally, the bacteria that attack the gums are not visible to the naked eye. Fortunately, experts use specialized tools like an x-ray to check the damage underneath the teeth.
Dental Exams Examine More than Just the Patient’s Teeth
For our patient’s confidence, our dentists are experts in evaluating the condition of your teeth and gums. Whenever they conduct an examination, they are thorough – making sure that no teeth are left unchecked. If you’re wondering what it is they’re checking for aside from cavities, here is a short list:
- The condition of the patient’s gums.
- Any signs of gum disease.
- Loose teeth.
- The condition of the tissues inside the mouth.
- The health of the tongue.
- Measure the patient’s bite.
- Any visual signs of tooth decay.
- Any damages to the fillings, if there are any.
- The condition of the dental appliance, if the patient is currently wearing any.
- Take x-ray of the patient’s teeth to look for underlying problems.
A typical exam covers more than just checking the teeth and gums for any signs of decay or damage. What your specialist will do is to check your neck, lymph glands, palate and the soft tissues around the mouth and look for any possible signs of oral cancer.
Schedule an appointment with our expert Dr. Samkisha Jhunjhunwala and take a step towards excellent oral health.
Detect Cavities Early
Patients should have their teeth and gums cleaned and examined every six months so that you can check whether you have cavities therefore preventing any issues in the future. Moreover, thanks to the continuous advancements in dentistry, experts are now able to find cavities even at their early stages which means we can avoid drilling and losing an enamel.
The good news is, smaller cavities are now easily treatable using shots and drills. However, the bigger cavities will need to be treated extensively and carefully since they can cause permanent damage.
Remove Plaque and Tartar Buildup
Unfortunately, regular tooth brushing won’t be able to remove plaque and tartar buildup entirely. Although, maintaining proper oral hygiene is still necessary to prevent excessive buildup. On the other hand, there are other cases where it would require specialists to intervene and use professional-grade tools to eliminate the plaque accumulation. Remember, if left untreated, this will harden and turn into tartar, which will infect and irritate your gums.
The Importance of Dental Cleaning
For some patients, they don’t think dental cleaning is essential since they thought that brushing their teeth 2 to 3 times a day is enough to keep the cavities away. However, getting a comprehensive cleaning of the teeth, gums and mouth will help to minimize the possibility of acquiring cavities and other oral health problems.
Patients who are in their peak oral health will only require regular cleaning. But in the case of those patients with pre-existing conditions such as gum disease, serious tooth decay, etc., deeper cleaning is required.
This is what happens in a normal dental cleaning procedure:
Step 1: Your specialist will first check the cleanliness of your teeth and gums.
Step 2: Remove the plaque and tartar buildup, in case there are any.
Step 3: Polish the teeth.
Step 4: Flossing between the teeth.
Step 5: Your specialist will inform you regarding the proper way to clean your teeth.
Step 6: Use professional-grade fluoride toothpaste to protect the tooth enamel against decay.
