DENTAL CARE
PART 6
Isn’t Basic Dental Hygiene Enough?
This is one of the intriguing questions as far as Dental Care is concerned. Let us remember that our teeth will last longer by observing regular dental hygiene.
Make it serve the backbone or foundation of your dental health. Nevertheless, you shouldn’t skip regular dental checkups, even if you’re tempted to do so.
It’s because even if you think your teeth look healthy and fine, it’s better to err on the side of caution and get regularly checked up by your dentist.
Don’t go to a dental clinic or center only if there’s pain in your gums and teeth. Usually, by that time, it’s too late and you have to do a tooth extraction or root canal treatment.
Besides which, you also need to go to the dentist to do even more thorough prophylaxis or dental cleaning that goes beyond the toothbrush and toothpaste.
You might even need to undergo deep cleaning, scaling, and planing if need be.
What to Expect During a Dental Examination
You need regular dental checkups for dental exams and tests (X-rays and scans), patient education and advisory, more thorough teeth cleaning (prophylaxis), and detecting any other oral or overall health issues.
A dentist’s appointment can last from half an hour to an hour depending on what’s being examined. You might get another scheduled visit if it’s a multi-visit kind of treatment.
Expect the following things during your routine dental checkup:
a) If desired, fluoride application will be done and completed;
b) Your dentist will discuss your oral hygiene routine with you;
c) Your teeth will be examined for broken fillings, cavities, and other dental issues;
d) Thorough cleaning of your teeth will commence to remove hardened plaque or tartar;
e) If required, you’ll be referred to specialists such as an orthodontist or oral surgeon;
f) If required, you’ll get an oral hygiene education for proper technique and best practices;
g) Your dentist will look for any irregularities in your jaw and the soft tissues of your mouth;
h) Your gums will be checked to ensure they’re not receding or inflamed due to gingivitis or periodontitis;
i) Your dentist will also discuss concerns such as dry mouth, tooth sensitivity, bad breath, or other dental and oral issues;
If needed, radiographs will be taken to reveal hidden decay, jaw trauma, gum disease, and wisdom teeth complications.
Routine visits to the dentist involve not only checking the health of your teeth but also professional cleaning for good measure.
Are You Due for A Dental Checkup?
Regularly getting dental checkups is of the utmost importance when it comes to the early detection of dental or oral conditions. It also provides tremendous help in terms of good oral hygiene maintenance since you also get in-office dental cleaning done then and there.