Oral hygiene and regular dental appointments are the heroes of oral health. Why? Because these two things, more than any other, impact your overall oral health and have far-reaching consequences for your teeth and gums. Your regular dental appointments, and the work you continue at home with your oral hygiene routine, are together known as “preventative dentistry”, the cornerstone of oral health and well-being.
Your scheduled interval for cleaning is determined by your oral health status. It will be either 3, 4, or 6 months depending on your current oral health. Visiting our office does more than just keep your smile looking good, we perform several services that contribute to our overall patient care, including:
X-rays/Radiographs – by keeping tabs on what’s going on below the surface, we can spot problems before they start and keep an eye on anything that can’t be seen by our visial examination. They also allow us to assess the health of the gums, teeth roots, and jaw.
Cleaning and Scaling – at each routine appointment, our friendly dental hygienist performs cleaning and scaling, which is cleaning the teeth and removing the harder deposits of plaque and tartar on the enamel. If left untreated, this plaque and tartar continues to advance, introducing plaque and bacteria below the gumline and resulting in a potential for more serious issues like gingivitis, the first state of gum disease.
Fluoride – adminstering fluoride strengthens teeth and makes them resistant to decay. Always a good thing!
Proper Brushing and Flossing Education – we wouldn’t dream of doing all this good work on your teeth and then sending you home without making certain you knew how to maintain it! Good oral health and hygiene are essential skills to keep up your oral health between visits.
Keep up your preventative dentistry by keeping your scheduled appointments and always remembering to brush and floss. It’s an investment you make in yourself!