The Importance Of Regular Dental Visits

The American Dental Association as well as your dentist highly recommends that you return plan on returning to the office every six months. These regular appointments are an important part of maintaining healthy teeth and gums. Of course, between visits you must maintain excellent oral hygiene practices.

What happens during a regular dental checkup?

A major part of New York general dentistry good practices is the regular checkup; your dentist will check your teeth for evidence of cavities, plaque and tartar. Plaque forms on teeth very quickly, it is the sticky substance on the surface of the teeth, it is actually bacteria and if it is not removed it hardens into tartar. Plaque can be kept at bay with regular brushing and flossing, tartar cannot. Plaque and tartar are causes of oral diseases.

Once your dentist has checked your teeth, he or she will check your gums. The dentist uses a tool helps determine if the space between your teeth and gums is correct. The space between the teeth and gums should be shallow, if not; this is an indication that there is gum disease such as gingivitis.

Professional cleaning:

Regular brushing and flossing at home are extremely important, but no matter how hard you try, you can never clean your teeth like the dentist can. To clean your teeth, the dentist or the dental hygienist uses a tool called a “scaler.” The scaler removes all evidence of plaque and hardened tartar. Once your teeth have been scaled they are polished to remove any remaining stains.

Your responsibility between visits:

During the periods between regular dental visits it is up to you to care for your teeth. Your New York general dentistry professional recommends twice a day brushing using fluoride toothpaste, at least once a day flossing and rinsing with a high quality mouthwash to keep your breath fresh.