Dental Exams and Cleanings Essential to Maintain Optimal Oral Health

You clean your mouth diligently, precisely as advised by your dentist. Yet the dentist insists you attend six-monthly cleanings are exams to ensure nothing is wrong in your mouth. You are perplexed why dentists are insisting on cleanings despite you maintaining your mouth in optimal condition.

Many oral health issues affect you without exhibiting any signs or symptoms. They begin manifesting in your mouth and continue to aggravate until they are detected and treated. You may never realize a cavity is developing on your tooth until your dentist shares information with you. Similarly, you may think an issue like oral cancer can never happen to you. However, does it harm you have yourself examined even for oral cancer when you attend an appointment with the dentist near you for cleanings and exams? We are confident you will heave a sigh of relief when informed you are not affected by any severe issues by the dentist providing exams and cleanings in Berkeley. If you don’t know why dentists recommend these exams and cleanings, please continue reading to learn more about this subject.

Why do Dentists recommend Cleanings and Exams?

A dental exam permits your dentist to review your medical history and perform a thorough exam of your oral cavity, including the hard and soft tissue. The dentist also performs a full bone and gum evaluation to determine whether any changes have occurred since your last visit. Your mouth, neck, head, and jaw, along with your tongue and the insides of your mouth, are examined for any abnormalities like red patches, sores that don’t heal, or any other defects indicating the presence of oral cancer.

Dentists take x-rays of your mouth to determine whether cavities or infections are developing between your teeth by remaining invisible to the naked eye. After performing the dental exam, the dentist lets the dental hygienist takeover the cleaning procedure.

Why Professional Cleaning When You Brush Your Teeth Diligently?

You could be using the most diligent brushing practices ensuring that you clean every part of your tooth from the front and back. You may also use dental floss more than once every day to ensure no plaque or food particles are left between your teeth. However, are you aware that plaque develops continuously on your teeth and requires just an hour or two to create a sticky film on your teeth? You may not realize when plaque sets or hardens into tartar within 48 hours. Removal of hardened plaque and tartar is practically impossible merely by brushing and flossing. The only way you can get rid of it from your teeth is by having professional teeth cleaning.

When starting the cleaning procedure, a registered dental hygienist will begin looking at your teeth using tiny instruments to detect plaque deposits and hardened tartar on your teeth and below the gum line. The hygienist uses devices called a scaler to eliminate these deposits. You will hear scraping sounds during the removal. However, it is normal and will soon be over in a few minutes.

After cleaning your teeth to remove plaque and tartar, the hygienist polishes your teeth with an electric toothbrush and some gritty toothpaste. You may not like the gritty toothpaste sounds but must understand it is an excellent method to polish your teeth and remove any leftover plaque from between your teeth from the earlier cleaning.

The cleaning procedure does not end with polishing your teeth. The hygienist asks you to rinse your mouth before providing fluoride treatments to strengthen your enamel to battle against cavities for several months.

What Happens after Dentist Exams and Cleanings?

After the exams and cleanings are accomplished, the dentist will create a personalized treatment plan for you to address any concerns or requirements. The treatment plan considers the resolution of any issues existing in your mouth and preventing new problems from occurring.

The cornerstone of excellent dental hygiene is dental exams. Dentist in 96412 does not merely provide an overview of your dental health but also help you identify trouble spots in your mouth and best practices to maintain excellent dental hygiene. Dental exams and cleanings are essential even for children and your entire family at every stage of your life. You may think it is an unnecessary expenditure, but in reality, these exams and cleanings save you money by preventing the need for expensive and intensive treatments. Therefore do not ever consider dental exams and cleanings unnecessary because you maintain proper dental hygiene.