Routine dental checkups are vital to good oral hygiene and are the best way to detect problems at their earliest stages. Early detection and treatment saves unnecessary discomfort, time, and money.
The Academy of General Dentistry recommends checkups twice a year. Oral needs change with age and the condition of your teeth and gums. Your Dentist may recommend a checkup schedule that is more or less frequent than twice a year.
Your dental checkup includes:
During a visual exam, your Dentist will use an intraoral camera with sophisticated magnification and lighting to see all surface areas inside your mouth. You will be able to watch the real-time, tooth-by-tooth video exam on your chairside monitor.
Your Dentist looks not only for cracked and decayed teeth, but also for growths and sores on the roof and floor of your mouth, tongue, lips, gums, and the mucous membranes that line your cheeks and gums. Then your Dentist will check the lymph nodes of your head, jaw, and neck for pain, tenderness, and flexibility.
Digital DiagnosticsX-Rays: Digital x-rays detect dental problems that cannot be found during a visual exam. We use digital x-rays that provide instant results and emit 90% less radiation. Your Dentist determines how often you need to have x-rays. 3-D Imaging: Three-dimensional imaging technology determines the precise position and shape of each tooth. Your Dentist will determine whether the use of this technology is appropriate to aid the development of a dental treatment plan or to follow the progress of your dental treatment.Gingival Pocket Exam: Healthy teeth require healthy gums. A gingival pocket exam determines the presence or risk of gum disease.Healthy teeth require healthy gums. A gingival pocket exam determines the presence or risk of gum disease.
What to Know
Your teeth are cleaned using special instruments to remove plaque from above and below the gumline. Afterwards, your teeth are polished. Tooth polishing makes your teeth look and feel great. It also smoothes tooth surfaces so plaque is less likely to accumulate.
The records of our patients' dental checkups, diagnostics, and treatments are kept electronically. Our patients benefit because our Dentist and Specialists have immediate, comprehensive access to medical histories as well as the results of previous and current exams, diagnostics, treatment plans, and progress reports. Electronic dental records improve patient safety and create clinical efficiencies that help reduce patient waiting time before and during appointments.
The key to healthy teeth and gums is keeping plaque and food decay from building up in your mouth. Plaque and food decay attract harmful bacteria that cause cavities, gum disease, and persistent bad breath.
Your tongue attracts bacteria, too. During the normal process of eating, tiny fragments of food collect on your tongue. As these fragments decay, bacteria create a filmy white coating on the top of your tongue.
Practice the four-step routine to keep plaque and harmful bacteria from building up in your mouth.
To keep your teeth and gums healthy:
When you practice good oral hygiene, you will:
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that a child's first visit to the Dentist be around age three unless any of these dental health risk factors exist:
When your child's teeth begin to erupt, wipe them daily with a moist washcloth to remove tooth plaque.
As s/he grows more teeth, use a soft child's toothbrush with non-fluoride toothpaste (like Baby OraGel) until s/he is able to spit out the toothpaste.
When your child is ready to use fluoridated toothpaste, use only a small pea-size amount on the toothbrush. Swallowing too much fluoridated toothpaste can lead to staining of children's teeth(dental fluorosis).
It's never too early to learn how to care for your teeth and gums.