Dental Checkups And Cleanings – Coronado, CA
Routine Care For Healthy Smiles At Every Age
At Advanced Dentistry, our goal is to help you maintain a healthy smile and avoid major dental work as much as possible. With decades of experience, we’ve found that seeing you every six months for dental checkups and cleanings is the best way to do that. In addition to getting a professional cleaning to help your smile sparkle, these visits allow us to monitor every aspect of your oral health. If you want to be proactive about keeping your teeth and gums in great shape, give us a call to schedule an appointment. Your smile will thank you!
Why Do You Need Regular Checkups and Cleanings?
When it comes to dental care, prevention is the name of the game. If you only come in to see us when you’re in pain, you’ll generally need more extensive treatment (for example, a small cavity can be treated with a simple filling, but it’s more likely to need a dental crown or even a root canal after it’s progressed). 6-month checkups allow us to find problems early when they’re simpler and less expensive to treat.
Keep in mind, there’s a reason that dental insurance companies usually cover checkups and cleanings at 100%. They know that patients who get preventative care need less dental work than those who don’t!
What Can You Expect From a Checkup?
Dr. Popp and Dr. Bailey perform thorough checkup exams to make sure that your teeth, gums, and more are in great health. Here’s what each checkup includes:
- Your mouth and body are very much connected, so we always start by updating and reviewing your medical history.
- Since our eyes only show us what’s happening on the surface of things, we’ll take routine X-rays as needed (typically once per year) to see what’s happening in your jaws, between your teeth, and under your existing dental work.
- Each checkup also includes a simple, fast oral cancer screening from both our hygienist and dentist. Oral cancer has been on the rise in recent years, but the survival rate is very high with early detection.
- Gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss and affects millions of Americans. It also puts you at greater risk for many diseases such as heart disease, Alzheimer’s, stroke, and more. To find and treat this condition as early as possible, we’ll perform a gum exam once a year.
- Finally, you’ll have a dental exam in which we look closely at your teeth and existing dental work to see if you need any additional treatment. We’ll also evaluate you for sleep apnea and TMJ disorder before reviewing our findings and answering any questions you may have.
What Can You Expect From a Cleaning?
Unfortunately, even with good oral hygiene habits, you simply can’t remove all the plaque and tartar from your teeth and gums on your own. Since plaque and tartar are a source of bad breath, tooth decay, and gum disease, it’s important to get professional cleanings twice a year (more often for patients with gum disease) to help prevent these issues.
Our hygienist is friendly and experienced and will make sure you stay comfortable throughout your visit. After using special tools to gently but thoroughly clean your teeth, we’ll polish and floss to make your smile look and feel great. Finally, we’ll also give you oral hygiene tips that are tailored for your needs to help you maintain that fresh feeling between visits.
