We want to help you and each member of your family enjoy strong and healthy smiles, which means helping you avoid issues like tooth decay and gum disease. Which is why we recommend a general dental exam once every six months! In today’s blog, your Ankeny, IA, dentist talks about our general checkup visit.
When to Schedule a Visit
When should you see our team for a checkup visit? For patients ages two and older, we recommend a checkup and cleaning every six months. However, if you have serious risk factors for issues like gum disease, we may suggest one every three to four months. The serious issues that threaten your smile’s stability, such as tooth decay and periodontal disease, don’t form overnight. Which means a visit every few months can allow us to catch trouble early, often before you experience uncomfortable symptoms.
The Dental Exam Process
When you sit down for your exam, our team will ask you about your oral hygiene routine and current symptoms. We then take a close look at your smile with digital x-rays and intraoral cameras, so we can obtain a detailed and accurate diagnosis. If we find concerns with your smile, we can then discuss possible treatment options. Our team will look for issues like tooth decay, infection, gingivitis, and gum disease. We also screen for oral cancer and watch for signs of TMJ disorder and bruxism (teeth grinding). For kids, this can help instill good oral health hygiene habits and prevent dental anxiety, so they are more likely to continue seeing the dentist at a later date.
Cleaning Your Teeth
Along with an examination, we also take time to clean your teeth. With a dental cleaning, we use an ultrasonic scaling device and a manual pick to break up and remove all layers of plaque and tartar from your teeth. Doing so helps limit the risk of issues like gum disease, cavities, bad breath, and teeth stains. We then polish the teeth to brighten them and make it more difficult for plaque and tartar to accumulate before your next six months visit.
If you have any questions about general dentistry, or if you want to schedule your next checkup and cleaning visit, then contact our team today to learn more. We want to help you and your family maintain good oral health, proper bite function, and of course, a beautiful smile.
Dental Impressions Talks About General Dentistry
With our approach to general dentistry, we can help you and your family maintain good oral health. To find out more about preventive dental care or to schedule your next checkup and cleaning visit, then call Dental Impressions in Ankeny, IA today at (515) 965-0230.
