As one of the most critical aspects of preventive dental care, you should have a routine dental examination every 6 months to have a qualified dentist check your teeth and gums for cavities, disease, decay, wear and erosion, and clean your teeth to remove plaque and tartar. During the routine exam, your dentist may also discuss your dental hygiene routine, and suggest further measures, like flossing more regularly or upgrading your toothbrush, to ensure better oral and dental health.
Good oral and dental health is about so much more than clean white teeth and fresh breath. It’s also about identifying issues which need attention and further treatment, like cavities, gum disease and even cancer. At Mango Hill Dental, the experienced dentists at our North Lakes dental clinic provide routine dental examinations to ensure you enjoy great dental health and that any issues that require further treatment are detected and treated as early as possible.
Part 1 – Check-Up
A routine dental examination consists of two parts — the check-up and a thorough teeth clean. Starting with an inspection of your teeth and gums, your dentist will check for cavities (damaged areas in the enamel which covers your teeth that become holes), along with plaque and tartar build-up. Plaque is a sticky bacterium that hardens and becomes tartar, a hard, crusty deposit that traps stains and causes discolouration. Your dentist will also look for food trapped between your teeth and inspect your wisdom teeth (if you still have them!).
Your gums will be checked for diseases like gingivitis (gum inflammation) and periodontitis (inflammation of the bone and teeth tissues). When inspecting your gums, your dentist will pay close attention to the spacing of your teeth and gums, especially in children to ensure correct spacing development, and to check for signs of disease. The spacing between healthy gums and teeth is usually shallow, whereas the spacing is often deeper when gum disease is present. Your dentist will also check your tongue and may also check your jaw for signs of overbite, and your lymph nodes for signs of disease.
Part 2 – Cleaning
The next step is a full clean of your teeth using special tools that effectively remove plaque and tartar. While regularly brushing and flossing at home is essential, it’s important to note that you can’t remove tartar with brushing, only professional ‘scaling’ tools effectively remove tartar from teeth. Your dentist may also use these tools to remove any food that’s caught in your teeth in much the same way as flossing.
They’ll then polish your teeth using a gritty paste which removes surface stains and deposits from your teeth, and they may also clean your teeth using fluoride, which strengthens the enamel and helps to prevent tooth decay. However, some people have high levels of fluoride due to their diet and may not need additional fluoride treatment.
The highly qualified and personable team of dentists at Mango Hill Dental in North Lakes offer trusted preventative dental services including professional scaling and cleaning, mouthguards and routine examinations. To make an appointment, call us on 07 3482 2209.