Do you visit the dentist for a standard checkup every six months? If it has been longer than you would like to admit since your last appointment, it’s never too late to get back on track! By prioritizing your oral care, you maintain a healthy smile resistant to common threats like tooth decay and gum disease. At each cleaning, we remove bacterial deposits that can wear on the surface of your smile and identify any active problems that require additional treatment. This biannual examination creates a dental record that quickly alerts us when structures in your mouth change. Combining daily at-home brushing and flossing with regular cleanings gives you a preventive focus that preserves your healthy material. Because you cannot address all causes of tooth decay on your own, professional cleaning is necessary to make sure you are doing the most to fight cavities.
At your Ankeny, IA, dental office, we are standing by to help you achieve your smile goals. This is why we offer general dentistry services that prevent plaque and tartar from destroying your beautiful enamel. If we detect existing damage at your general checkup, we can also discuss restorative and cosmetic procedures to return your smile’s function and beauty. However, maintaining regular checkups can minimize your need for future corrective work when you preserve what you already have!
How Oral Bacteria Wear Away At Your Smile
When your smile is healthy, the enamel on the outside of your teeth protects them from the constant force of your bite. This means absorbing hundreds of pounds of pressure multiple times throughout the day. By brushing and flossing your smile each day, you clear debris and plaque that gather on the smile’s surface to prevent tooth decay from taking hold. However, failing to routinely clean this destructive material leads to the accumulation of acidic waste products that wear down the enamel. As permanent holes form, cavities break your enamel’s protective seal and destroy even more healthy material. These deposits similarly destroy healthy gum material and lead to periodontal disease without regular removal.
Receiving Your Cleaning And Checkup
When you schedule cleanings every six months, you receive preventive service that keeps your smile in tip-top shape. To begin the appointment, a hygienist will remove all plaque and tartar from the surface of your teeth to prevent cavity formation. Your dentist then examines your smile and identifies any active threats that require additional service. For example, if we see a cavity, we recommend placing a filling in that same appointment.
Talk To Your Ankeny, IA, Dentist About Scheduling Your Next Cleaning And Checkup
If you would like to find out more about our preventive dental services, please contact our Ankeny, IA, dentist’s office at (515) 207-6182 to schedule a visit.
