Preventive dentistry is crucial to minimizing tooth decay and gum disease, the twin enemies of a healthy mouth. It starts with the approach that caring for your teeth and gums is an essential part of your overall health, therefore making it part of your daily routine!
Part of maintaining your oral health, requires regular visits to your dentist for general checkups, cleaning and evaluation of your dental health. Your dentist will then provide their expertise, recommendations and skilled professional services based on what they assess.
The other part of your oral health requires a consistent at home routine of brushing, flossing, using mouthwash and following a healthy diet.
Here are a few recommendations to your preventative routine:
- Get regular oral exams
- Never wait until you’re in pain to see a dentist.
- Plan a dental checkup regularly or as often as your dentist may recommend based on your oral health.
During a dental exam, the dentist may:
- Evaluate your overall health and oral hygiene
- Examine your teeth for signs of decay
- Examine your gums for signs of inflammation or infection
- Check your bite
- Take dental X-rays
- Assess any oral health concerns that you may have
- Guide you to specialist care should you need examination and evaluation outside of general dentistry
Consistent visits to your dentist are necessary to identify any concerns in their early stages. These may include assessing signs of decay in a tooth, gingivitis or other inflammation in the gum tissue and/or other areas of the mouth for proper corrective treatment.
- Schedule regular hygiene appointments (dental cleanings)
In addition to your own daily care, professional cleanings at least twice a year are generally recommended to keeping your teeth and gums as healthy as possible. If you tend to have more plaque buildup than normal, it may be advisable to visit your dentist more often than twice a year for dental cleanings. Consult with your dentist for the recommended hygiene visits and at home care.
- Ask us for an oral cancer screening
New Look Dental uses the industry’s state-of-the-art technology, the Denmat ViziLite® PRO Oral Lesion Screening System. Using a technology called fluorescence visualization, this instrument allows the dentist to see your mouth differently than was possible with less advanced light sources (typically, older technologies use white or chemiluminescent light) used in oral cancer detection. This screening innovation gives your dentist more visual information about the condition of your mouth, making more possible than before to detect potential issue.