When was the last time you visited our office for a routine dental exam? The American Dental Association recommends a checkup for all ages once every six months, and we agree! To help keep smiles strong, your Richfield, MN, dentist can offer an exam and cleaning twice a year.
The Dental Checkup
What happens during your dental checkup visit? When you sit down for an exam, we will ask you about your oral health habits and possible symptoms of trouble. Our team will also take a close look at your smile with digital x-rays and intraoral camera technology, which enables us to make a diagnosis with precision and accuracy. We can discover areas that need treatment and then make a treatment plan for them. With routine visitors every few months, we can catch these issues in the early stages, often before you experience discomfort.
Cleaning Your Teeth
In the same visit, our team will also conduct a detailed and thorough dental cleaning. With this procedure, our team will use an ultrasonic scaling device and a manual tool to gently and thoroughly break up and remove all plaque and tartar from the surfaces of your teeth. We then polish your teeth to brighten them and make it more difficult for plaque and tartar to accumulate in between your six-month visits. Doing so not only brightens your smile and limits the risk of bad breath, but this can also lower the risk of tooth decay, dental infection, gingivitis, and even gum disease. Which is why we recommend this for patients of all ages, from kids to seniors. You can help control plaque buildup in between these six-month visits by brushing your teeth for two minutes twice a day and flossing every evening.
Periodontal Cleanings
We also offer a deep cleaning, known as a scaling and root planing. This is recommended when you have the warning signs of gingivitis and gum disease, such as sore, red, and bleeding gums. With this procedure, we use the same tools, but we remove buildup from the teeth and the exposed roots. This could take one visit or multiple appointments, depending on the extent of your buildup. We again polish your teeth, and may recommend traditional cleanings every three to four months to control buildup and keep gum disease in check.
If you have any questions about how we protect smiles with preventive procedures like our dental cleanings, then contact our office today to learn more.
Schedule Your Appointment for Preventive Dentistry
With a routine preventive six-month visit, we can help keep your teeth and gums strong and disease-free. To learn more about our exams, call Cedar West Dental in Richfield, MN, today at 612) 861-7188.
