Benefits of Regular Dental Checkups

Are you overdue for a regular dental checkup? Are you considering skipping it? Before you do, consider the benefits of getting regular dental checkups, and you’ll probably see that it’s better to make that visit.

Professional Cleanings Get What You Can’t

You’re probably pretty good at brushing your teeth. Maybe you’re even a regular flosser. That might make you think that you don’t need a hygienist to clean your teeth. But the truth is that professional cleaning is different from what you do at home, and is a necessary addition.

The goal of brushing and flossing is to remove dental plaque, which is a combination of oral bacteria banding together for protection against your saliva and food residue.

But even if you’re great at brushing and flossing,  you probably don’t get all the plaque. What’s left will quickly absorb minerals from your saliva. This basically fossilizes it into tartar (also called dental calculus–which brings back math nightmares for many of us). Tartar can’t be removed at home, but we can remove it with special tools.

While we’re removing tartar, we can tell you the areas where you’re missing when you brush–the tartar tells us! We can help you do a better job at home and can even recommend tools that make cleaning easier and more effective.

And we’ll also give your teeth a quick polish. This not only helps your teeth shine–it makes it harder for plaque to stick!

Detect Problems Early

When they’re small, cavities don’t hurt. They might not even be noticeable. And if we can find them in a dental exam, sometimes they can be stopped and reversed just by changing your diet and/or oral hygiene habits. That’s much better than having to get a filling, crown, or root canal. You not only save your teeth, you save your time and money!

The same goes for gum disease. Detecting it early means that there is little or no additional care needed. Much better than needing a root scaling and planing, which is, frankly, no fun. Plus, keeping your gums healthy helps protect you from side effects like autoimmune disorders, heart disease, and others.

Get to Know Us Better

One common complaint people have about modern healthcare is that they have an impersonal relationship with their doctors and dentists. It doesn’t have to be that way. Seeing each other every six months or so isn’t the same as seeing somebody every day, but there are many relatives that you probably don’t see any more often than that, I bet. It’s often enough to keep in touch and stay close, if that’s what you want.

Waiting a year or more between visits, though, that does tend to make it hard to stay close.

Not Everyone Needs the Same Schedule

However, the truth is that the schedule of seeing your dentist every six months isn’t a hard-and-fast rule. People have different needs for their oral health. The recommendation is six months because that’s good for most people.

However, you might not need a visit every six months if you:

  • Are young (under 30)
  • Have a tooth-healthy diet
  • Are good at home hygiene
  • Have low family risk factors
  • Generate tartar slowly

If you think that this might describe you, we can try out a 9-month or annual schedule for checkups. But if you start to experience gum disease or cavities, we’ll cut the guideline again.

On the other hand, you might need more regular visits if you have current or prior gum disease, multiple cavities, and other risk factors.

Set Up Your Personal Schedule

If you are looking for a Scripps Ranch dentist to take care of your oral health according to your needs, we can help. Please call today for an appointment with Dr. Ramin Goshtasbi at Oasis Dental Care.