Routine Dental Check-ups
Routine dental checkups are vital to good oral hygiene and are the best way to detect problems at their earliest stages. Early detection and treatment save unnecessary discomfort, time, and money.
The Academy of General Dentistry recommends checkups twice a year. Oral needs change with age and the condition of your teeth and gums. Lakeside Dental Team may recommend a checkup schedule that is more or less frequent than twice a year.
What to Expect During Your Checkup?
- Digital x-rays and intraoral photos.
- A visual exam of your mouth, face, jaw, and neck.
- A gingival pocket exam.
- Comprehensive data capture in an electronic dental record.
- Professional cleaning.
- Follow-up appointments may be scheduled.
Visual Examination
During a visual exam, the Lakeside Dental team will use an intraoral camera with sophisticated magnification and lighting to see all surface areas inside your mouth. You will be able to watch the real-time, tooth-by-tooth video exam on your chairside monitor.
The doctor looks not only for cracked and decayed teeth but also for growths and sores on the roof and floor of your mouth, tongue, lips, gums, and the mucous membranes that line your cheeks and gums. Then the doctor will check the lymph nodes of your head, jaw, and neck for pain, tenderness, and flexibility.
Digital Diagnostics
X-rays: Digital X-rays detect dental problems that cannot be found during a visual exam. We use digital X-rays that provide instant results and emit 90% less radiation. The doctor determines how often you need to have X-rays.
Gingival Pocket Exam
Healthy teeth require healthy gums. A gingival pocket exam determines the presence or risk of gum disease. Here is what you need to know about gingival pocket exams.
- Each tooth has a gum pocket where debris and plaque accumulate.
- Daily oral care prevents debris buildup in the gum pocket and bacterial penetration.
- Deeper gum pockets increase the risk of tooth damage and gum disease.
- During your exam, a handheld instrument measures pocket depth between gums and teeth.
- In its early stage, gum disease can be reversible and often goes unnoticed due to the absence of pain symptoms.
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Professional Cleaning
Your teeth are cleaned using special instruments to remove plaque from above and below the gumline. Afterwards, your teeth are polished. Tooth polishing makes your teeth look and feel great. It also smooths tooth surfaces, so plaque is less likely to accumulate.
Electronic Dental Records
The records of our patients’ dental checkups, diagnostics, and treatments are kept electronically. Our patients benefit because the doctor has immediate, comprehensive access to medical histories as well as the results of previous and current exams, diagnostics, treatment plans, and progress reports. Electronic dental records improve patient safety and create clinical efficiencies that help reduce patient waiting time before and during appointments.
Good Oral Hygiene
The key to healthy teeth and gums is keeping plaque and food decay from building up in your mouth. Plaque and food decay attract harmful bacteria that cause cavities, gum disease, and persistent bad breath.
Your tongue attracts bacteria, too. During the normal process of eating, tiny fragments of food collect on your tongue. As these fragments decay, bacteria create a filmy white coating on the top of your tongue.
Practice the four-step routine to keep plaque and harmful bacteria from building up in your mouth.
How to Keep Your Teeth and Gum Healthy?
- Brush your teeth and use an antiseptic mouthwash twice daily (after breakfast and before bedtime).
- Use dental floss daily.
- Clean your tongue regularly by using a toothbrush or a tongue scraper.
- See your dentist for routine dental checkups.
Benefits of Good Hygiene
- Have less plaque to remove during routine dental checkups, so professional cleanings will be faster and more comfortable.
- Minimize your need for dental procedures due to tooth decay or gum disease.
- Minimize your annual dental budget.
- Feel healthier.
- Enjoy fresher breath.
- Be more confident about your smile.
