Important Steps In Your Oral Hygiene Routine

The approach you take to cleaning your teeth on a daily basis will help you avoid potential problems like tooth decay and gum disease. Unfortunately, many people who feel they are doing enough to keep their smile healthy can overlook mistakes in their routine that make them vulnerable to oral health issues. One benefit to scheduling regular dental exams is that you have the opportunity to receive feedback about your hygiene efforts. If your Ankeny, IA dentist identifies issues with your dental well-being, or if you regularly have excess tartar accumulating in certain areas, you may need to adjust your current commitment to oral health care at home.

Are You Making Yourself Vulnerable To Dental Problems Without Realizing It?

Because dental care is such a familiar part of our routine, it is sometimes easy to overlook “small” mistakes that leave you vulnerable to problems. For example, your brushing efforts can become less effective in time because the bristles of your brush start to wear down. You can also have problems due to a lack of consistent flossing. Recognizing these shortcomings will help you better protect yourself against cavities and prevent the onset of gingivitis.

Your Daily Routine Should Protect Your Teeth AND Gums From Harm

To make sure you are safe against gum disease, you should take care to clean your teeth at the gum line when you brush and floss. By doing this, you remove bacteria buildup that can turn into tartar and infect your periodontal tissues. Flossing plays an important role in protecting your gums. The spaces between teeth can be difficult to clean, so bacteria that gather there can be difficult to access with your toothbrush alone. As those microbes gather, they can eventually cause gingivitis, which can progress to a more serious form of gum disease in time. If you show up at your next dental exam showing signs of gingivitis, we can help you fight the infection by performing a periodontal cleaning, or scaling and root planing.

Take Advantage Of Preventive Care Offered At Your Dentist’s Office

At every routine appointment, your dentist will be able to thoroughly check you for any signs of oral health trouble that will have to be addressed. Ideally, you will not need restorative dental work. However, if there is a problem with a cavity that calls for treatment, we can provide a dental filling to prevent the problem from worsening. These visits also give us the opportunity to look out for other issues, like gum disease, or evidence of teeth grinding.

Schedule Your Next Dental Exam At Dental Impressions In Ankeny, IA!

Through treatment at our Ankeny, IA dentist’s office, we can help you take on problems with your oral health by providing valuable preventive care. To learn more about this service, and others that we provide, please contact Dental Impressions at (515) 965-0230 to schedule a visit.