For children and adults of all ages, dental check-ups are highly recommended. This is necessary for the dentist to carefully examine the health of your teeth and gums and take appropriate treatment action to preserve the strength of your smile.
When visiting the dentist for a check-up, there are many things you should know, from the available treatments, what’s expected of you as a patient and what you can expect from the dentist at a dental check-up.
Why Are Regular Dental Check-Ups Important?
The general recommendation when it comes to visiting the dentist is a check-up every six months or twice a year. However, this is not set in stone, and the dentist may recommend multiple visits to the dentist. This is dependent on the state of your oral health and whether the dentist feels frequent treatment and check-ups are required.
The end objective is to ensure your mouth, teeth, and gums stay healthy and function accordingly. Should this not happen, you’re at greater risk of tooth decay. This means your teeth become exposed to infection and bacteria, damaging your smile and, in some cases, your teeth may need to be removed if they’re severely infected and damaged.
What Happens At A Dental Check-Up?
There are multiple reasons why a dental check-up would be required:
- Performing x-ray treatment to detect signs of oral cancer and gum disease signs
- Removing bacteria-filled plaque through scaling
- Polishing your teeth for that shiny finish
- Answer any questions a patient may have regarding their oral health
Scale and Polish – The dentist will typically perform a professional clean in the form of scale and polish treatment. First, the dentist will perform scaling of your teeth. This is performed to remove any bacteria-filled plaque and stains on your teeth along the gum line area using specialised equipment such as an ultrasonic light or a scaler. The equipment is designed to break up the debris from your teeth before the teeth can be polished. The bacteria can penetrate your gums, causing gum disease if it continues to build.
The dentist will then clean and polish your teeth once all leftover bacteria-filled plaque and calculus are removed. The dentist may provide fluoride treatment if your enamel needs to be strengthened.
X-Ray Treatment – X-Ray treatment is performed by the dentist to detect the following:
- Identify areas of decay between teeth and gums
- Determine any dislodged fillings, crowns and bridges
- Identify any signs of tooth misalignment
- Any tooth and bone fractures
- Determine if a wisdom tooth needs to be removed
X-Rays help to analyse your jaw and bone structure and any oral health issues in between that require treatment to prevent your oral health from gradually becoming worse.
Are Dental Check-Ups Safe?
Dental check-ups are completely safe and performed by knowledgeable dental professionals. Should you feel unsafe or suffer from dental anxiety, then modernised dentistry presents sedation dentistry. Sedation dentistry helps keep you calm and relaxed in a sedative state, helping you get through your treatment. Consult your dentist to learn more about it.
If you’re due a dental check-up, the time is now to get the best out of your oral health. Consult your local dentist for an appointment today!
