Visiting your dentist for a regular dental health check up is one of the easiest ways to maintain healthy teeth and gums. It not only allows you to have consistent dental cleanings but also helps you detect and prevent oral issues. To help you understand what happens in a check-up, listed below are some things you can expect.
Examination
When you arrive at the dental office for your appointment, the first thing you have to do is answer some questions about your oral health. These will make up your dental records that, aside from your basic information, will also contain your dental hygiene history, previous or current dental illnesses, and other specific health concerns.
These questions will serve as a guide for your dentist to determine what they should look out for when checking your teeth and to help identify a medical solution suitable for your condition. Additionally, they’ll help track your progress for all the treatments you received.
Once done answering these questions, a dental hygienist will check your teeth for cavities that might have developed into plaque or tartar. They will also examine your gums to ensure that it is pink, firm, and not swollen, which are signs it is healthy. The hygienist will likewise have to measure the spaces between your gums and teeth to verify if gum disease has developed.
Lastly, the dental specialist will look into other mouth parts, like your throat and tongue. This is to check if there are signs of inflammation or even cancer.
Cleaning
The next part of your check-up is the cleaning. This is where your dentist will remove the identified plaque and tartar in your teeth to prevent gum diseases from developing. Brushing and flossing alone are not enough to eliminate them. For that reason, they need to perform scaling to scrape these particles off your teeth and gumline.
When this non-invasive procedure is done, your dental specialist will proceed with polishing your teeth. This approach is made to remove stains and other bacteria left on the surface of your teeth. The final step is flossing to make sure the spaces between your teeth are also clean. Once all the procedures are completed, your dentist will speak with you about other dental work you may need, depending on their findings. It may include getting dental braces, implants, or a bridge.
Book an Appointment With Your Dentist
These are only a few of the things you can expect when visiting your dentist. If you need a trusted dental care provider where you can get a regular dental health check up in Mishawaka or Fort Wayne, IN, choose Afdent Patient Friendly Dentistry. Call us today to get more details.