Taking care of your mouth is essential for keeping it happy and healthy. Much of your oral care takes place at home. The American Dental Association recommends that you brush your teeth twice a day and floss at least once a day. These habits are essential for eliminating plaque and bacteria buildup from your teeth to prevent serious issues like cavities and gum disease. In addition to taking care of your mouth at home, maintaining your oral health also requires professional dental care. Aesthetic Dentistry of Bend – Thomas E. Wold, DMD is here to help.
Cleanings are recommended twice a year, or once every six months. They are performed to remove all accumulation from the surfaces of your teeth, including from the areas that you might have difficulty properly cleaning on your own. In thoroughly cleaning your teeth, we can help you further prevent issues like cavities and periodontal disease from developing.
Cleanings are incredibly simple and straightforward. We begin by scraping the surfaces of your teeth with a special tool. This tool enables us to remove plaque, bacteria, and other debris. We are even able to remove tartar, or plaque that has hardened on the surfaces of your teeth and cannot be removed no matter how often, or how hard, you brush. We work carefully to ensure that all buildup is removed, giving special attention along, and just below, the gumline.
After scraping your teeth, we move on to polishing. This is done with an electric hand piece and a dental polish. The electric handpiece is outfitted with a rotating head. The polish contains abrasives, which work to scrub your teeth smooth, shining, and clean as the head rotates rapidly. This helps to remove debris and surface stains, leaving your teeth feeling fresh and clean.
The last step of your cleaning is flossing. Even if you floss at home, extra flossing can be beneficial during your professional cleaning. We can remove the buildup from between your teeth that you might not be able to get on your own. Flossing at the end of your cleaning also enables us to remove loose debris and polish that may have accumulated during your appointment.
Exams are also recommended at least twice a year and are generally done in the same appointment as your cleaning. With exams, we take a close look at the structures of your mouth to check for early warning signs of a variety of different issues including the growth of decay, any cracks or fractures, signs of periodontal disease and an oral cancer screening. Spotting issues early allow for easier and much less invasive treatments, preventing more serious consequences.
During your exams, we look over your teeth. They are examined for signs of decay and cavities. We check for chips and cracks. Any dental restorations are looked over to ensure that they are still functioning properly. We examine your gums, checking for redness, swelling, periodontal pockets, and signs of gum recession. In addition, we perform an oral cancer screening. During this quick visual examination, we look for any changes in color or texture to your tissue, we also look for lumps, bumps and growths. Dentists spot the signs of oral cancer more often than any other medical professional.
Another important part of dental exams, although not performed at every exam, is dental x-rays. X-ray images provide us with a unique view of the otherwise hidden areas of your mouth, including the spaces between your teeth and the areas below your gum line. We can spot cavities, root damage, bone loss, impacted teeth, and so much more. These images help us to get a complete view of your oral health so that we can continue to provide you with the best possible care.
