Why Do You Need Dental Exam and Cleaning Every Six Months?
A routine dental checkup is important because it can help to prevent dental problems and maintain a healthy and beautiful smile. A dental exam and cleaning should not concern you with dental anxiety because of the simplicity of the procedure. The dentist in Satsuma, AL, can make it easy for you to schedule your dental exam and cleaning every six months.
You could be wondering why a six-month interval is being recommended for your checkups. Given below are the reasons why the Satsuma dentist recommends checkups and cleanings every six months for adults as well as children.
Regular Exams and Cleanings Help to Detect Problems Early
Prevention is the hallmark of present-day dentistry. Prevention can easily be achieved in many forms by encouraging patients to brush and floss regularly, have a healthy diet, use fluoridated toothpaste, mouthwashes, and other measures. However, in the dental office prevention is usually in the form of a twice-yearly exam and dental prophylaxis which also involves cleaning of your teeth.
The Main Components of the Six Monthly Visits Consist of:
- Reviewing and updating your dental and medical history.
- Oral cancer screening.
- Blood pressure screening.
- Examination of your teeth and gums to detect cavities and other infections.
- Radiographic examination with digital x-rays is the standard. Routine x-rays despite not causing any health risk to the patient as research and science have demonstrated the dental exam in Satsuma explains to patients precisely what they see.
- The dentist also performs some specialized examinations for patients with implants, retainers, nightguards, Invisalign, and dentures.
- Oral prophylaxis is a full mouth professional cleaning after which your teeth will be polished with some instructions for oral hygiene being provided.
- During the appointment, the dentist will be reviewing all the findings and x-rays to make the necessary diagnosis and recommend any treatments that may be needed.
Reasons Why Visits Every Six Months Are Essential
Preventing the Development of Plaque
Plaque is a sticky film that clings to your teeth and gum line and is populated by harmful bacteria. The buildup of plaque can cause discoloration of the teeth, tooth decay, and gum problems. Visiting the dentist for a dental exam in Satsuma can leave your teeth clean and healthy to prevent any complications from the buildup.
Tooth Decay Prevention
Diagnosing tooth decay is not difficult for dentists who can quickly diagnose it. Tiny cavities are easy to fix but if you delay your visit the tiny cavities can become large and eventually lead to root canal treatment being required. A root canal will also bring upon you the need for a dental crown and may even lead to tooth loss. This can include more time for the treatment, additional visits to the dentist, and higher costs.
Prevent Gum Disease
Dentists are capable of preventing gum disease from its onset before it becomes a concerning complication. When it is left untreated gum disease can cause pain, bone loss, swelling, and loss of teeth.
Improve Your Smile
Dentists have many treatments that will be offered during a routine checkup to whiten, straighten, writing and clean your teeth to give you a million-dollar smile.
Save Money
Dental exams and cleanings can detect problems in your mouth in the early stages and prevent the need for invasive treatments later on. The prevention also saves you costs that are associated with dental treatments. Moreover, regular dental care and maintenance reduce your chances of developing complicated conditions.
Regular exams are essential to finding hard to detect problems like tooth decay, orthodontic issues, and problems that may be difficult to detect by the naked eye. Detecting such problems makes it possible for dentists to treat them without the use of invasive methods.
If you neglect dental visits for an extended period you could be putting your smile in danger by exposing yourself to more extensive work to have it restored. Regular exams are the starting point to keep common dental problems like cavities in check.
Dental exams and cleanings help you to enjoy clean and healthy teeth because the dental hygienist will remove plaque and tartar from the surfaces of the tooth and by the gum line. These are areas you can miss at-home to leave your mouth feeling revitalized.
Nothing can beat a professional exam and cleaning by a dentist to leave you with a smooth and clean mouth.