Dental Checkup in the New Year
It’s the start of a new year; time to make it a healthy start for you and your family. January is often a time when people book for a dental checkup and cleaning as part of their new year’s resolution to take better care of themselves and improve their dental health. For some, it will be the first time they have been to a dentist in several years, or perhaps, it will be their first time ever to visit.
A dental checkup with the dental hygienist and dentist will generally cover all of these things:
- review your current medical status with you – there are many medical conditions and medications that may influence dental hygiene treatment and overall dental health
- examine your head and neck for abnormalities
- examine your tongue, gums, teeth and all other areas of your mouth
- measure the attachment of the gums to your teeth (probing)
- record all findings on your chart during the dental checkup
- take prescribed radiographs (x-rays), usually once per year, and have the dentist interpret them for dental hygiene and restorative purposes
- scale (clean) your teeth using hand or mechanical instruments removing hard and soft deposits (plaque and tarter)
- polish your teeth, if needed, to remove stains
- if needed:
- apply fluoride to strengthen teeth
- apply agents to desensitize teeth
- apply pit and fissure sealants to seal grooves for decay prevention
Dental Checkup Should Provide Education During All Phases of Treatment
- customize an oral care program for you – you will be informed on, and given advice about matters related to your oral health including nutrition, smoking cessation and plaque control and the use of various oral care products, their purpose and effective use. Your hygienist will recommend how often you should be seen throughout a year based on the health of your tissues and your adherence to a maintenance program.
A Dental Checkup Shouldn’t Create Anxiety
A check up and cleaning appointment should be informative, and not a fearful or anxious time. Even if you have put off dental work for sometime, your hygienist can help get you back on track with your oral health. Keep in mind, it may take a few appointments to get your mouth into better shape.
Improve Your Overall Health
Oral health affects all aspects of your health, and has a direct relationship to diabetes, heart health, and inflammation. Your teeth also allow you to eat a healthy diet, get proper rest, and make a good impression on others. So by getting started with a simple dental checkup, you are putting yourself on the track to a healthier and brighter life.
It’s a new year – make it time for a new you! Visit Downtown Dental today!
