When you see our team for a checkup and cleaning every six months, you take a proactive approach to keeping your smile bright and strong. Everyone deserves a healthy smile, and that starts with a simple dental checkup. In today’s blog, your Katy, TX, dentist talks about how we improve oral health with a simple exam and cleaning visit.
The Value of Your Routine Exam
When you undergo a checkup, we have a chance to carefully examine your teeth and gums for signs of trouble, diagnosing and treating serious concerns often before you experience discomfort. For example, our team can watch for the earliest signs of tooth decay, infection, gingivitis, or gum disease, and also watch for TMJ disorder and bruxism. We even screen for oral cancer! By catching these concerns early, we prevent them from threatening the overall health and beauty of your smile. Since these concerns take months to form, checking in with us twice a year can help you maintain good oral health.
The Technology We Use
We want to make sure we conduct an exam with precision and accuracy, and that we can see what’s beneath the gums, such as root structures and the jawbone itself. Which is why we use digital x-rays. They require 90% less radiation, don’t need bitewings, and the images are available instantly chairside, so we can walk you through the diagnosis and you don’t have to wait for the images to develop in harsh chemicals. We also examine the smile surfaces with intraoral cameras too, so again we can identify problems in their early stages.
Dental Cleanings
In the same visit, our team will conduct a dental cleaning, in which we remove all plaque and tartar buildup from the teeth with an ultrasonic scaling device and a manual tool. The process helps lower the risk of cavities and gum disease, and also fights halitosis and brightens the teeth. The cleaning takes a few minutes and is crucial for keeping your smile healthy and bright. We recommend this for kids and adults alike, and you can further protect your smile with daily brushing and flossing too. If you have warning signs of gingivitis or gum disease, we could recommend a procedure known as a scaling and root planing, to reverse inflammation or manage the disease, keeping your smile healthy and whole.
If you have any questions about how we conduct a dental exam and cleaning, then contact our team today to learn more.
Speak With Your Katy, TX, Dentist About General Dentistry
We would love to help you enjoy your best possible smile with our general dental procedures. Talk to our team about your next checkup and cleaning visit, by calling us at Lathrop Dental Center in Katy, TX at (832) 437-3849!
