Dental Exams And Cleanings Benefit Your Overall Health besides Your Dental Health
If you avoid dental visits for exams and cleanings, you are damaging not just your oral health but also your overall health. The well-being of your teeth and mouth are essential to your overall health and your entire body. Regular brushing and flossing are crucial to keeping your smile appearing beautiful. However, neglecting six-monthly dental visits recommended by the American Dental Association puts your dental and overall health at risk.
What Happens During Dental Exams?
The dental examination procedure is not fearsome because the dentist examines your mouth for incidences of tooth decay, gum disease, bad breath. During the exam, your dentist takes x-rays if you are visiting them after a year. The x-rays help dentists to view beneath the surface of your teeth and gums and detect issues not visible to the naked eye.
Dentists also perform exams for oral cancer screenings during your dental visit as a method of preventive care. It doesn’t mean you are affected by this dreadful disease but is merely an examination to confirm you don’t have any abnormal or cancerous lesions in your mouth.
Preventive dental care by undergoing dental exams and cleanings don’t require multiple appointments and is completed within the hour. After the dentist conducts the dental exam, the dental hygienist takes over your teeth cleaning procedure.
The Teeth Cleaning Procedure
The dental hygienist’s from the teeth cleaning dental clinic start the cleaning procedure using tiny mirrors to guide them besides a scaler helpful for plaque and tartar removal around your gum line and between your teeth. You can expect to hear scraping sounds which you may not like. However, if you have excessive tartar buildup on your teeth, you will likely hear more scraping making you believe you must brush and floss your teeth using proper techniques.
Polishing your teeth with gritty toothpaste and an electric toothbrush is the next step of the cleaning procedure. Here again, you experience grinding noises making you uncomfortable. However, polishing is an excellent method to deep clean your teeth and remove any leftover plaque and tartar.
The hygienist also provides a demonstration of flossing regardless of whether you floss at home or not. Dental hygienists reach deep between your teeth to detect troublesome spots from where your gums may bleed.
After the flossing demonstration, you can rinse your mouth and prepare yourself for fluoride treatment, the last step of the cleaning process. Fluoride protects your teeth by strengthening the enamel helping you battle cavities for several months.
It is essential that you understand the importance of dental examination and how it can help you remain on top of your dental and overall health. The description provided below will convince you why you mustn’t neglect dental visits every six months to keep yourself in optimal health.
The Importance of Dental Exams and Cleanings
You must schedule professional dental exams and cleanings twice a year while x-rays are scheduled once. However, depending on what your dentist or hygienist observes in your mouth, they may perform other exams during your visit.
Children also need similar exams and cleanings. In addition, dentists recommend preventive measures like molar sealants on children’s teeth to help prevent cavities in the difficult to brush areas.
If you have neglected dental exams and cleanings for long and have excessive plaque and tartar buildup on your teeth besides bleeding from the gums, you likely have gum disease affecting you, requiring more frequent visits to dentists to control the infection.
Gum disease is entirely preventable with regular brushing, flossing, and examinations by your dentist. Early stages of gum disease are reversible with routine cleanings and proper dental hygiene. However, allow the condition to progress to periodontal disease, and your only option is to maintain the disease by receiving regular treatments from your dentist besides adopting an oral hygiene regimen helpful in preventing the infection from aggravating.
If you have advanced periodontal disease, expect the bacteria in your mouth to invade your bloodstream to cause various health problems requiring treatment from different medical professionals for conditions like cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, osteoporosis, and cancer. You undoubtedly wouldn’t want to spend additional time and money you can ill afford on various treatments merely because you didn’t care for your oral health, would you?
Do not consider dental visits for exams and cleanings as an unnecessary expenditure. On the contrary, the visits help you save time and money and prevent extreme issues in your mouth and body merely by undergoing an inexpensive exam and cleaning.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dental Exams and Cleanings
How often should I schedule dental exams and cleanings?
Most patients should schedule professional exams and cleanings twice a year, with x-rays typically taken once annually. Your dentist may recommend more frequent visits depending on your individual gum health and risk factors.
Does a dental cleaning hurt?
Most patients experience only mild sensitivity to scraping and polishing sounds rather than actual pain. If you have significant tartar buildup or sensitive gums, let your hygienist know so they can adjust their approach for your comfort.
Can gum disease really affect my overall health?
Yes. When periodontal disease advances, bacteria from the gums can enter the bloodstream and has been associated with systemic conditions affecting cardiovascular and respiratory health. Regular cleanings help prevent gum disease from reaching this stage.
Do children need the same exam and cleaning schedule as adults?
Children generally follow a similar twice-yearly schedule for exams and cleanings. Dentists often recommend additional preventive measures for kids, such as molar sealants, to protect the hard-to-clean chewing surfaces of back teeth from cavities.
What happens if I skip cleanings for a long time?
Skipping cleanings allows plaque and tartar to build up, which increases the risk of gum disease and cavities. If you notice bleeding gums or heavy tartar buildup after a long gap between visits, your dentist may recommend more frequent appointments initially to bring your oral health back on track.