dental cleaning
We believe that preventative care is essential for staying in good oral health. Our goal is to keep our patients as healthy as possible, and the best way to do so is through ongoing dental care and teaching our patients how to practice good oral hygiene at home.
Adults
We recommend that adults have their teeth cleaned twice a year, as well. Good oral health is important regardless of how old you are and as people age, their risk for an oral infection continues to increase. This is in part because, as teeth age, the protective enamel starts to wear away, and it can become easier to get a cavity. The best way to combat this is by brushing and flossing throughout the day in addition to visiting the dentist on a regular basis.
Sensitive Teeth
Many adults avoid visiting the dentist because they are concerned that their teeth will hurt or feel worse during the exam or subsequent cleaning. It is important to understand the reason that teeth become sensitive. Very often, it is due to the enamel on the outside of the teeth wearing away. Enamel can wear away due to age, what you eat and improper oral health care. While brushing with desensitizing toothpaste can help, you need to continue visiting the dentist to ensure that your teeth and gums stay healthy. Otherwise, the sensitivity can increase. During your dental exam, let us know about the discomfort you have been feeling so that we can discuss ways to reduce it by using methods such as a fluoride treatment or sealant.
Preventing Emergencies
Regularly scheduled dental cleaning and examinations can help to prevent a dental emergency. Many adults go far too long in between visits to the dentist. As a year or two goes by, infections can develop that can create a painful situation and lead to dental emergencies. For example, a minor cavity can be corrected with minimal discomfort but if the infection spreads into the center of the tooth the dental pulp can become infected and a root canal will become necessary. Fortunately, these types of infections can typically be avoided with routine screenings. It is important to keep in mind that healthy teeth are also less likely to become damaged or injured so by staying in good health; you can prevent teeth from becoming cracked or chipped during an accident.
Education
While getting your teeth cleaned and examined, we will also discuss ways that you can keep your teeth and gums healthy at home. We believe that good oral hygiene at home is important to do in conjunction with visiting our office. We recommend that you use a soft toothbrush to brush your teeth twice a day and use fluoride toothpaste. This will keep harmful sugar and bacteria off of your teeth and the fluoride will help to strengthen them. You should also floss daily to get food particles and bacteria out of hard to reach places. Following up with an antibacterial mouthwash will help to kill any remaining germs.
Your diet is also important to good oral health. Make sure to drink plenty of water and eat a diet that contains dairy products, lean protein, green vegetables and complex carbs so that your body gets the nutrients it needs to stay healthy. We can provide additional tips and information during your dental cleaning and examinations.
DENTAL CLEANINGS AND EXAMINATIONS FOR CHILDREN
We work with patients of all ages and knows how to help children to feel comfortable while visiting the dentist. We recommend that teeth cleanings and exams start from a very young age. This is important for ensuring that baby teeth grow in properly and stay healthy until the adult teeth are ready to come in. Many people don’t realize how important healthy baby teeth are. Children can get cavities and gum disease just like adults do with the difference being that children are less capable of understanding or dealing with discomfort. We recommend that parents bring their children in for dental cleanings and examinations at least twice a year. This way we can remove harmful plaque and bacteria in order to prevent cavities.
While cleaning children’s teeth, our staff has been trained to take it slowly and practice gentle dentistry. By building a rapport with our young patients, they will feel more relaxed during their dental appointments and visiting the dentist becomes fun instead of intimidating. We also recommend that parents take the time to read stories about going to the dentist and play games by teaching children how to examine their toy’s teeth. These little steps can help children to feel comfortable when getting their own teeth cleaned. By doing so twice a year, their baby teeth are more likely to stay in until they are supposed to fall out, and their adult teeth will also stay healthier.
