There are two important steps you must take to protect the health of your smile: practice effective dental care at home and visit your dentist for checkups at least twice a year. Effective home care consists of brushing, flossing, and rinsing with an antibacterial mouthwash every day. But no matter how well you take care of your teeth, there are several essential services provided during dental checkups which cannot be replicated at home.
Regular visits to Watkins Dental Group play an important role in protecting smiles from significant dental damage.
Your Dental Cleaning
During your routine dental visits, our goal is to clean your smile and identify any potential signs of disease or infection. More importantly, dental hygienists also scrape away plaque, that rough substance that sticks to your teeth and causes gum disease and cavities. Once your dental hygienist has thoroughly cleaned your teeth and gums, she will also polish your teeth. This doesn’t just make your smile look great–it also makes it harder for tooth decay to penetrate the enamel of teeth and damage your smile.
Your Dental Exam
Once we’ve thoroughly cleaned your teeth, our family dentists will conduct an in-depth dental exam and review your dental history.
During the exam portion, your dentist will visually inspect the health of your teeth, looking for soft spots which could be an indication of cavities. Your dentist will also check for signs of cancer and other dental illnesses by examining the state of your teeth, cheeks, tongue, gums, lips, palate, neck and lymph glands. Your dentist will also check your bite.
Sometimes, dental problems lie below the gums. At least once per year, we’ll take an x-ray examination. This provides important insight into how healthy the teeth and bone are below the surface. Digital X-rays also help detect cavities, gum disease, and possible orthodontic issues concerning tooth alignment.
Our goal at Watkins Dental Group is help you meet your smile goals. Once your teeth cleaning and examination is complete, our Dallas, PA dentist will review your dental history and talk to you about any dental issues you might be having. If there are certain aspects you’d like to improve or there are treatments you are considering, we’ll walk you through your options. Call (570) 675-1138 today to schedule your next visit!