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Consistent dental hygiene habits help you maintain good oral health. But if you want to sustain optimal oral health for life, regular professional cleanings and exams are essential. Here’s how you can benefit from twice-yearly dental visits.
Good oral health is a vital component of your overall well-being. Watching your sugar intake and practicing consistent dental hygiene habits can go a long way in helping you maintain strong teeth and healthy gums; however, your daily brushing and flossing routine is only one-half of the oral health equation.
The other half? Getting a professional dental cleaning and exam every six months to give your teeth and gums a plaque-clearing reset and check on every aspect of your oral health.
At Preva Dental in San Antonio, Texas, Prathima Rasamsetty, DDS advises all patients to visit for a comprehensive cleaning and exam every six months. Read on as Dr. Rasamsetty explores seven invaluable benefits of twice-yearly dental visits.
1. Better cavity prevention
Dental decay is the most common disease in the world. In the United States, one in four adults has untreated tooth decay at any given time, and 90% of adults have had at least one cavity.
Luckily, cavities are preventable, and routine dental visits can significantly improve your chances of avoiding them. From complete plaque and tartar removal to fluoride treatments, dental sealants, enamel-protecting dietary advice, and pro brushing and flossing tips, regular professional dental care fosters better cavity prevention.
2. Early decay detection
Excellent oral hygiene habits can minimize your risk of dental decay; however, your cavity risk will never be zero unless you decide to avoid all foods that contain sugar or carbohydrates.
When you see our team every six months, we can detect tooth decay early, in its most treatable stage. Swift cavity detection often means only having to take care of a minor surface cavity (no anesthetic needed) or getting a small filling; delayed cavity detection, on the other hand, can easily lead to a large filling, a root canal, or even a tooth extraction.
3. Gum disease deterrence
After tooth decay, periodontal disease is the most common oral health problem: In the US, nearly half of adults aged 30 and older — and three in four older adults — have some degree of gum disease.
Gum disease is the chronic inflammation and infection of the gum and bone tissues surrounding and supporting your teeth. When this progressive condition goes untreated, it often leads to tooth loss. But when it’s spotted early during a routine dental exam, we can help you reverse the problem and restore optimal gum health.
4. Lifelong tooth protection
No matter what your current dental needs are, having routine cleanings and exams helps protect and improve your oral health, whether you’re already managing advanced gum disease or simply trying to avoid cavities and keep your gums healthy.
When you stay on top of your oral health with twice-yearly dental visits, you’re far less likely to develop deep decay and advanced gum disease, the two main problems that set the stage for tooth loss. And when you keep your natural teeth as you age, you won’t need dental implants, bridges, or dentures.
5. Timely problem discovery
Regular dental exams don’t just check for cavities and gum disease but also look for signs of common health problems that have tell-tale oral indicators. When we evaluate your oral tissues and the chew surfaces of your teeth, we can spot signs of:
- Bruxism
- TMJ disorders
- Oral cancer
- Sleep apnea
Identifying these problems early gives you the best possible shot at an optimal outcome, whether you need to wear an oral device to treat sleep apnea or a more comprehensive plan to address TMJ dysfunction or oral cancer.
6. A whiter, brighter smile
The most popular benefit of routine dental visits is that they leave you with a whiter, brighter smile without relying on cosmetic teeth whitening treatments.
How? Regular cleanings with professional dental tools and techniques clear plaque and tartar and lift superficial stains from your enamel to keep your smile looking vibrant — and leave you with fresher breath, too.
7. Helpful oral hygiene tips
When we clean and examine your teeth, we can see where your daily oral hygiene habits excel — and where they could use improvement. We may notice an area that doesn’t seem to get cleaned as thoroughly as the rest of your mouth, or we might see spots of thinning enamel that indicate you’re brushing too hard.
After telling you what we notice, we give you the specific advice you need to improve your brushing and flossing techniques and protect your long-term oral health.
Are you due for your next cleaning and exam? Call or click online to schedule an appointment at Preva Dental in Whitestone, New York, today.