Has it been more than six months since your last trip to the dentist? If so, we recommend regular visits to stay on top of your oral health. While daily brushing and flossing are your key behaviors to preventing tooth decay and gum disease, dental checkups help evaluate the results of your hygiene routine. We provide rigorous cleaning of the entire surface of your teeth and can let you know when we detect problem areas that require more attention. Having a preventive attitude towards oral care helps you keep a healthy mouth instead of waiting for painful symptoms to begin care. This could mean the difference between discovering a cavity when it is small or waiting until it has grown large enough to cause a serious infection.
At your Ankeny, IA dental practice, we stress the importance of periodic cleanings and exams to protect your smile! By coming into our office twice per year, we can remove plaque and tartar deposits that lead to oral disease. These visits allow us to detect changes in your smile and create a treatment plan before they can get out of hand!
When Plaque Threatens Your Smile
The primary purpose of your dental cleanings is to remove plaque and tartar formations that harm your teeth and gums. Plaque results when oral bacteria feed upon debris from your meals and combine to create a sticky film on the surface of your teeth. Regularly brushing and flossing helps you prevent this material from growing, but when you fall behind on your cleaning habits, plaque can quickly build up. As the bacteria feed, it produces an acidic waste product that corrodes the protective layer of enamel on your teeth. Eventually, this corrosion creates a permanent hole, or cavity, that exposes the sensitive inside of your tooth.
Treating Your Cavities
If we discover a cavity at your checkup, we will suggest removing it right away. We will numb the affected area with a local anesthetic and clean out all decaying material. Depending upon its size and location, we can place a dental filling or crown to restore your tooth’s surface and prevent bacteria from entering once again. The composite resin material of your filling allows us to shade it to the specific color of your natural teeth to return the beauty of your smile. To maintain your restoration, continue brushing and flossing as normal. At following visits, we will inspect your repair work to see that your tooth remains strong!
Talk To Your Ankeny, IA, Dentist About Scheduling A Checkup
Routine dental checkups help you maintain a clean smile. Your exams give you the chance to detect oral health problems early in their development. To schedule a visit, please call our Ankeny, IA, dentist’s office at (515) 965-0230. We also serve patients from Alleman, Elkhart, Bondurant, and all surrounding communities.
