How often should you be visiting the dentist?
What occurs during a routine visit to the dentist?
How often should one be going to the dentist?
dMany people have wondered why, their whole lives, they’ve been told by the American Dental Association and their dentist that they should be coming back for a checkup every six months. The reason for this is, that visits every six months are required to maintain the health of your teeth and gums. While you’re living life between examinations, it’s quite important that you have good habits that will keep your teeth clean and gums healthy.
Examining your teeth for decay is only one part of a full dental examination. During your routine checkup, your dentist will evaluate the health of your gums, examine your head and neck, looking for anything out of ordinary. Your mouth will be examined for signs of vitamin deficiencies, cancer, diabetes or other medical irregularities. Your dentist will likely take a close look at your facial structure, how your bite sits, the quantity and quality of your saliva and how well your lower jaw moves. Once you’ve been given a clean bill of oral health, it’s on to the cleaning and getting sent home with a new toothbrush and instructions on how to floss and brush, usually twice per day. Doing these two simple tasks, twice per day, will help to maintain healthy teeth and gums, something that pays more dividends than you might imagine.
When You Get Your Exam:
Expect that your dentist will pay particular attention to how much plaque and tartar they observe on your teeth. The reason for this is that they can build up quickly in a very short amount of time unless one keeps up good dental habits. You might want to also be mindful of what foods and drinks you are ingesting, and it’s best to avoid tobacco products, for obvious reasons. What starts out as soft plaque, if not removed, can then turn into hardened plaque on the teeth, eventually irritating tissues in the mouth. If left untreated, plaque can lead to gum disease, which will require treatment and possible additional expense.
After your dental exam is completed, your dental professional, likely a hygienist, will clean your mouth by removing any tartar or plaque found, and polishing your teeth. You won’t be lecture, as we operate in a “no lecture zone”, but you’ll be informed – about how to follow daily good oral hygiene practices at home. By following the advice of your dental professionals, it’s quite likely that you’re going to maintain good, clean teeth and healthy gums.
Let’s take a moment and talk about the consequences of not keeping up with your good habits or your regular six-month dental exams. It’s important to know what can happen, because, as they say, knowledge is power.
If you don’t maintain good oral health, it can spread to your gums and cause other issues. If you see blood on your toothbrush bristles, or if it shows up in your sink after a thorough cleaning it’s definitely something you do not want to ignore or put aside. If left untreated, gum disease can set in until the point where your teeth are directly affected, and then you have a whole set of other issues to content with.
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