How often should you visit your dentist?

Maintaining optimal oral hygiene stands is the cornerstone for overall well-being. To ensure you have a healthy and radiant smile a proper dental routine at the dentist’s office plays a critical role, it also helps in the prevention of dental problems and identifying cavities and tooth decay early. The American Dental Association (ADA) suggests that everyone must have a routine dental checkup and teeth cleaning every 6 months. These visits help to prevent and keep many dental problems at bay. At Blanc Dental Center in Town of Mount Royal the dentists offer professional treatments with the help of the latest tools. Let us see more about bi-annual dental check-ups.

What happens in the bi-annual dental checkup?

Reviewing medical history:

The dentist performs a thorough checkup of the dental and the medical history of the patient. The reason for conducting this review is to identify any underlying dental issues. They can be anything like medication, allergies, or any impact that the oral condition has on the overall health.

Blood pressure screening:

Most people underestimate the importance of checking the blood pressure before dental checkups. It is important to check the vitals as the blood pressure provides a measurement of the impact on arterial walls when the heart pumps the blood to flow in the whole body. The blood pressure helps oxygen and nutrients to flow through the vessels and tissues and reach all organs. Additionally, blood pressure distributes white blood cells throughout the body to combat illness. Checking the blood pressure helps in either slowing down the process or indicating the need for more medical evaluations.

Oral cancer screening:

The dentist performs screening for oral cancer to identify any precancerous conditions prevailing in the mouth. The idea is to prevent further progress of cancer and to cure it in an early stage. Some tests help the dentist identify any abnormal cell growth in the mouth. It is not mandated to conduct oral cancer screening as it might not reduce risk however it may help in early detection of suspicious lesions, promoting timely intervention and improved prognosis.

Radiographic examination:

Dentists use essential tools like digital scanners and X-rays that help in identifying extremely detailed images of teeth. It aids in checking the cavities, the bone structure, the teeth that have been impacted, and if there is any bone loss or also jaw structure. It uses minimal radiation to offer a complete picture of the mouth. This also helps the patient to understand the teeth’ condition and implies attention is required in certain places.

Through examination:

Thorough examination of teeth and gums detects cavities, gum disease, or infections early on. Detecting these issues promptly prevents further decay, damage, or complications, preserving oral health. Additionally, patients who have already been administered with prosthetic treatments, and implants, and those who use dental appliances like night guards or invisaligner have different processes to follow for examination.

Oral prophylaxis:

The dentists offer professional dental cleaning which cleans the gums, and teeth and increases life of the teeth. Due to an imbalanced lifestyle and poor dental hygiene, there is a high chance of plaque and tartar buildup in the gums and teeth. The food depot develops the bacteria and infects the entire teeth structure. Removing the plaque is an important step in preventing problems associated with teeth and gums.

Modern dentistry believes in prevention and taking measures to keep bacteria away from the mouth as much as possible and it is the key to oral hygiene. The primary means of achieving the best results is to encourage the patients to have proper brushing and flossing every day. The dentists professionally perform cleaning of teeth and scaling to help the patients have a bright smile. In addition to regular brushing and flossing, it is important to include fluoridated toothpaste, mouthwashes, and also a healthy diet with a focus on calcium and all other vitamins and minerals.