Routine Dental Check-ups
Dentists all over the world emphasize on the importance of routine dental check-ups and how they help patients maintain optimal oral health, and yet there are many people who don’t visit the dental office till they start experiencing some form of pain or discomfort. Pain in most cases is one of the later symptoms of conditions that can easily be prevented, or treated in early stages. Through routine visits to the dental clinic, you can keep harmful infections at bay, and maintain and clean, healthy smile every day!
What to expect from a standard routine dental check-up:
When you visit the dental office for your annual check-up/cleaning appointment, the dentist will first conduct an oral examination. This is done with the help of oral mirrors and probes. The aim is to look for and detect any changes in the colour, form or texture of the oral mucosa, or carious lesions on the teeth. The dentist will check the soft tissues of the cheeks, the tongue, the palate, the dental ridges, and the labial tissues for any abnormalities. It is during these dental exams that surgeons also check for signs of pre-cancerous lesions and oral tumours.
Next, the dentist may proceed to taking radiographs to check the positioning of any erupting teeth, or to generally assess the health of the teeth below the gums. This proves as a vital record for potential treatment planning of impacted third molars, root canal therapies, and detection of abscesses etc.
Finally, the dentist will proceed to cleaning the teeth. Scaling is the name given to the treatment whereby accumulated plaque, calculus, bacterial and food debris are removed from hard-to-access/clean corners of the teeth. This is important because if these substances are allowed to accumulate over a long period of time, they can give rise to harmful periodontal conditions such as Gingivitis and Periodontitis. The former is an aggressive, irreversible infection that can result in early loss of teeth and destruction of the oral soft tissues.
How routine check-ups help maintain a healthy smile:
One of the most important benefits of visiting the clinic for routine check-ups is early detection of oral conditions and getting timely treatment. The sooner a condition is diagnosed, the better the prognosis. For instance, if caries is detected when it has only just started as a white lesion, it will take only a minor filling to restore the tooth. However, if the patient waits till the tooth actually starts hurting, then a root canal may be required to restore the tooth by which time a large portion of the mineralized layers may have been destroyed by the bacteria, and the treatment will cost much more than one simple tooth coloured filling.
Learn more about how you can keep your teeth and gums healthy at home with correct brushing techniques and the right lifestyle modifications, by getting in touch with our team of professionals today!