Visiting your De-ientes Dentist once every six months helps to ensure your teeth and gums remain healthy for years to come. It gives a chance for your dentist to fix a dental problem when it’s in its early stages rather than waiting until you experience pain which could lead to tooth extraction.
What happens at the dental hygiene visit?
There are always two parts to any dental hygiene visit, which are the check-up and dental cleaning. Sometimes, a dental hygienist will be assigned to you and at other times a dentist will do the job.
The check-up
This is when your dentist or dental hygienist checks your teeth for any ongoing problems and any signs of any possible problems that could develop in the future. The dentist will check carefully for signs of cavities and if necessary take an X-ray which helps to determine if any cavities exist between your teeth that can’t be seen by the naked eye.
The check-up will also include looking for damaging plaque and tartar that tend to stick to your teeth’s surfaces. These substances need to be removed as soon as possible, otherwise they will damage your teeth and cause cavities to develop and tooth decay.
The gums are next on the list at a dental check-up. Your dentist will use a specialized device that measures how deep the spaces are between your gums and teeth. If your gums are healthy, the gaps will be shallow. However, if they are deep, this could be an indication of gum disease.
Dental cleaning
The cleaning process starts with the elimination of plaque and tartar. Once these substances have built up on your teeth they are difficult to remove by toothbrush and flossing alone. Your dentist will use a special tool to remove this potentially damaging material. This is called scaling. This process is followed by polishing through the use of an abrasive paste which helps to eliminate any stain build up on your teeth. Lastly, floss will be used to remove any debris caught in between your teeth.
How you can contribute to maintaining good dental hygiene
Once the dental hygiene treatment has been completed, your dentist may advise you about how you can contribute to maintaining good oral health. You can help to minimize the build-up of plaque and tartar by not only attending dental hygiene visits twice a year but also be getting into a strict cleaning routine. Plaque constantly forms on the teeth, but if you brush and floss twice a day for at least two minutes each time, you can help to minimize the amount that remains on your teeth. You should use fluoride based toothpaste, as this is the most effective against tooth decay.
Whatever you can do to help keep your teeth healthy you should ensure you don’t miss the twice yearly check up with a Dentist as that will be a move you will never regret.