How Often Do You Need to Schedule Your Dental Exams and Cleanings?
The frequency of preventive dental visits can vary based on your oral health, age, and specific risk factors. In general, we recommend twice-yearly appointments for most patients with healthy teeth and gums. If, however, you have gum disease or are at higher risk for dental problems, you may require more frequent visits to help maintain optimal oral health.
What Are the Benefits of Twice-Yearly Dental Exams and Cleanings?
- Prevention and Early Intervention: Regular dental cleanings help remove plaque and tartar buildup, which is the leading cause of cavities and gum disease. Dental exams, on the other hand, reveal problems in their earliest stages, preventing the need for extensive treatments down the road.
- Maintaining Healthy Smiles: Regular dental exams and cleanings help maintain healthy teeth and gums. That can help you keep your natural teeth healthy for a lifetime and prevent the need for tooth replacements down the road.
- Detecting Health Problems: During your regular dental exams, we may detect signs of systemic health concerns. Problems like gum inflammation, bone loss, or abnormal oral lesions can help uncover more serious health problems, ensuring you seek prompt treatment.
- Whole Person Health: Maintaining healthy smiles can contribute to better overall health. Problems such as gum disease have been linked to serious health concerns, such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and even pregnancy complications.
- Brighter Teeth: During your dental cleaning, we will gently polish your tooth surfaces. That helps remove surface stains, leaving your smile cleaner and brighter.
- Patient Education: We are always happy to provide tips on home oral hygiene, nutrition, and lifestyle practices that enhance your oral health. Our goal is to lower the risk of tooth decay, gum disease, bad breath, and more.
What Can You Expect?
- Digital Dental X-Rays: We will take digital dental x-rays when needed to uncover signs of early decay, bone loss, cysts, tumors, and more. Dental x-rays provide an invaluable diagnostic tool to ensure we treat any problems as they develop.
- Dental Exam: We will examine your teeth, dental work, and gums to rule out any disease or damage. If we detect any problems, we’ll recommend prompt treatment to safeguard your smile.
- Bite Analysis: We will examine your bite’s alignment and ensure there are no concerns. A poor bite can lead to an elevated risk of periodontal disease, excessive tooth wear or fracture, loose teeth, and TMJ problems.
- Oral Cancer Screening: We will evaluate the soft tissues in the mouth looking for any abnormalities. This potentially life-saving screening can uncover the early signs of oral cancer, ensuring the best possible treatment outcomes.
- Prophylactic Dental Cleaning: Our dental hygienist will remove any plaque and tartar built up on your teeth and gum line, floss between your teeth, and polish your tooth surfaces. Your twice-yearly cleanings can lower the risk of cavities, gum disease, oral infections, and other oral health concerns.
- Fluoride Treatment: We may recommend applying fluoride varnish to your tooth surfaces after your dental cleaning. Fluoride is a powerful cavity-fighter that strengthens your tooth enamel, helping make it more resistant to acid attacks and decay.
- Deep Dental Cleaning: If you have more advanced gum disease, you may require a deep dental cleaning, known as scaling and root planing. The procedure involves removing any plaque and tartar buildup from your teeth and gum line and cleaning and smoothing your tooth roots to encourage gum tissue healing.
Dental Exams and Cleanings Near Me in Mesa, AZ
Contact Lake Vista Dentistry to learn more about safeguarding your smile with regular dental exams and cleanings. We look forward to working alongside you to help keep your gums and teeth healthy and your smile bright.
Call 480-832-3400 or visit us online to schedule your appointment today!
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