What to Expect at a Dental Checkup

You don't want to sit in the dental chair wondering what is going on in your mouth as the dental expert puts different medical equipment in and takes them out, do you? Of course, you might remember the pain and slight glitches, or the caressing feel of something against your jaw, but what exactly is going on?

A regular dental check-up consists of two parts, namely:

1. The Examination

2. The Cleaning

The Examination

The point of this part of dental checkups in Chaparral is to check your oral health status, maintain the essentials and point out and avoid problems that may be becoming serious or escalate without attention.

At this point, the dentist in Sundance will examine your face, neck and beneath your jawline for any irregularities (lumps, bumps, or swelling). He will also analyze and do a comprehensive inspection of your teeth, gums, and mouth, checking to see symptoms of tooth decay, gingivitis, etc. You will have to discuss whatever problems you have been going through with the expert, and a customized treatment procedure will be designed to enhance your overall oral health.

Dental checkups near you also include an x-ray analysis of your mouth. X-rays are responsible for providing a more precise view of what is happening in your mouth. Your dentist is armed with more evidence to identify problems that could have otherwise gone unnoticed, such as any harm to your jawbones, gums, and teeth.

The Cleaning 

Before the cleaning, it is essential for your dentist in Chaparral to know of any prior health concerns, mental anxieties, or even allergies you may have. This is to prevent any issues and ensure the kind of care you need is provided. Things like your medical history are extremely vital if it is your first meeting with a dentist near you.

The cleaning will involve activities like brushing and flossing to get rid of plaque from your teeth. However, in cases when plaque has hardened to form tartar, the dental expert will have to perform another procedure called scaling. Tartar can't be removed at home with everyday tools like brushing or mouthwash, they are the main causes of tooth decay and are extremely dangerous to your overall oral hygiene.

Afterward, your teeth may be polished using a gritty paste, it is to remove any stain that may be left on the surface of your teeth. Polishing is mainly done by an abrasive material that is applied to your teeth with a dental brush. 

In other circumstances, air polishing may be recommended by your dentist. In such cases, a fluoride treatment may be applied. This includes applying a solution to your teeth, the purpose is to provide further protection to prevent decay in patients with high risks.

Flossing is done last to ensure the spaces between your teeth are clean. Flossing is a part of oral hygiene that is widely considered inconsequential by a lot of people, however, ignoring this can mean you’re not cleaning up to about 40 percent of your teeth’ surfaces! There is no way to brush the space between your teeth and plaques that form here are also deadly for your oral health because the bacteria that gather there can lead to bad breath and tooth decay. 

If you don't have a habit of flossing, you might want to visit our dentist at Chaparral Dental Wellness soon to get dental checkups in Sundance.