Overview
Despite brushing twice and flossing regularly, it can be difficult for you to reach some areas of your mouth with your brush or flossing thread. And it is for this reason you should consider visiting your dentist regularly for dental checkup and cleaning.
Along with keeping your teeth and gums healthy, these checkups can help you catch various oral disorders much earlier, which makes their treatments easier and more effective.
How do dental cleaning and checkups work at Dental Sage?
Both dental checkups and dental cleaning are simple procedures; however, they play a pivotal role in keeping your teeth and gums healthy.
Dental Checkups: During your dental checkup, your dentist will check your oral cavities for plaques, tartars, decays, and cavities. If there are cavities present, you will be asked to go for an X-ray scan. It is important to receive timely treatment for these conditions as they can lead to various oral diseases, if ignored.
Your dentist will also be checking your gums for swelling, bleeding, or sores.
It will be a thorough oral examination, where your dentist will examine your teeth, gums, tongue, throat, head, and neck regions – this is important to make sure that your oral cavity is healthy and there are no signs of any oral disorders.
Dental Cleanings: Plaque and tartar are common dental problems. Plaque is formed when the bacteria present in the oral cavity combine with food remains to form a sticky film called plaque. If this plaque sits for a long time on your teeth, it hardens to form tartar. Tartar removal is not possible at home as it requires specialized tools.
During your dental cleaning sessions, your dentist will remove tartar throughout your oral cavity using special tools. This procedure is known as scaling.
Those with sensitive teeth may find scaling to be a painful procedure. In such cases, it can always be communicated to the dentist, who can help the patient get comfortable with appropriate medication.
After scaling, the next step is polishing. During polishing, any surface stains present on your teeth are removed. The dental cleaning procedure ends with flossing. Flossing helps in ensuring that the areas between your teeth are free of food remnants and are clean.
Advantages of Dental Cleaning and Checkups
Following are the key advantages of dental checkup and cleaning:
- They help in keeping teeth healthy, bright, and shiny.
- They help in preventing various oral disorders like bad breath, tooth decay, gum diseases, and even oral cancer.
- They can have a positive impact on your confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How often should I opt for a dental cleaning?
Ideally, you should opt for a dental cleaning once every six months. However, in a few cases, the dentist may recommend cleaning once every 3 months or even once every 9-12 months. Please talk to your dentist to know what suits you the best.
- Can dental checkups help in preventing oral cancers?
Dental checkups cannot prevent oral cancer; however, they can definitely reduce the risk. Regular checkups support early detection, which is necessary for oral cancers to be treated effectively.
Therefore, regular dental checkups are one way to keep an eye on your oral health and bring down your oral cancer risk.
- How long does a dental checkup take?
A dental checkup alone may take up to 10 – 15 minutes. However, if it also involves cleaning, the session may take up to 45 – 50 minutes.
- Is dental cleaning a painful procedure?
In most cases, dental cleaning is a painless procedure as it does not involve any injection or cutting.
In some cases, where there is too much tartar buildup, cleaning can cause discomfort to patients. However, this discomfort is manageable with oral conscious sedation.
- How can I keep my teeth healthy?
Keeping your teeth healthy is simple. Ensure you have good oral hygiene that involves brushing twice, tongue scraping and flossing. Avoid smoking and chewing tobacco as these harm your teeth. Opt for regular dental checkups and dental cleaning to keep your teeth bright and shiny.
If you are looking for the best dentist near you, make no delay, reach out to the Dental Sage, which is the best dental clinic in Yelahanka.
