Reasons Why You Ought to Visit Your Dentist Regularly

Seeing your dentist often may not be a fun thing to do but it is necessary. Keeping your teeth and gums healthy is not something anyone should take for granted. Apart from ensuring that you keep halitosis at bay, you want to be able to enjoy your food. This is difficult to do if you can barely chew it.

Your dental professional may recommend regular dental checkups at least every six months. See? That is not a lot. Only twice in a whole year! When you get to PSL Smiles Dental Office or to your regular dentist’s, you have some expectations, some of which are the reasons for your trepidation. To allay your worry, let us break your dental appointment down.

What to expect at the dentist’s

Your dental visit is broken down to two parts:

• Dental check up
• Oral prophylaxis (cleaning)

Dental examination

• Your dentist will check your teeth for cavities. You may wonder why this is necessary since in your view, everything is fine. Cavities are very sneaky and they do not announce their presence until they hit a nerve. A dentist will be able to detect them and may even recommend an x-ray to check for them between the teeth.
• The examination also includes a check for tartar and plaque on your teeth. Plaque is a layer of clear, sticky bacteria. If left on the teeth, it hardens to tartar. A buildup of the two on your teeth will cause oral diseases. Plaque is removed through brushing and flossing.
• The dentist checks your gums with a special tool used to measure the depth of space between your gums and teeth. If the spaces are deep, that is an indication of gum disease.
• Your tongue is not left out. The examination also includes your throat, face, head and neck. This is necessary to unearth any signs of trouble such as redness, swelling or possible early signs of cancer.

 Oral prophylaxis

• While flossing and cleaning at home gets rid of plaque, tartar is difficult to remove through the usual home dental care routine. Your dentist uses special tools to remove the tartar from your teeth through a process called scaling. 
• After cleaning, the dentist may polish your teeth using a gritty paste. Polishing aids in removing surface stains on your teeth.
• Flossing is the final stage of your dental visit. This is done to ensure that the spaces between your teeth are clean.

Between dental visits

Regular brushing and flossing can be done at home. This takes care of your and gums inclusive of the spaces between the teeth. Plaque is always present on your teeth but is easy to get rid of through regular brushing and flossing.

To ensure that you take proper care of your teeth at home, follow the following tips:

• Brush your teeth at least twice every day using toothpaste that has fluoride.
• Make flossing a daily routine.
• Use a good mouth wash not only to keep your breath fresh but also to help in controlling plaque bacteria.

Aside from regular home dental care through brushing and flossing, seeing a competent dentist such as PSL Smiles Dental Office for regular professional dental checkups will help keep your teeth healthy and strong and your mouth free of oral complications as well as early detection of serious oral issues.