The goal of preventive dentistry is to maintain the oral health of patients and prevent dental issues such as gingivitis, periodontal disease, and tooth loss. By attending regular visits with your dentist, you can save yourself the time, money, and grief of having to undergo restorative procedures. Plus, you will increase your chances of keeping all your natural teeth well into your senior years.
Be proactive in maintaining your oral health — call Off The Trace Dental to schedule a dental checkup in Slidell.
Why is Preventive Dentistry Important?
As the name implies, preventive dentistry not only prevents dental and periodontal diseases, it also helps prevent the high cost and discomfort of undergoing time-consuming restorative dental treatments. Did you know that replacing a single tooth with a dental implant can cost over $3,000? For a little perspective, compare that to the cost of visiting the dentist for a checkup once or twice per year.
Preventive dentistry isn’t just important to maintaining your oral health; more research is showing associations between gum disease and cardiovascular health. So, keeping an attractive, healthy smile might also do wonders for your heart health. For all these reasons, we hope you take preventive dentistry to heart!
Oral Health Examinations
To ensure your oral health remains in great shape, we will perform oral health examinations during each appointment. These may include one or more of the following:
- Periodontal charting
- Diagnostic X-rays
- Oral cancer screenings
- Checkup of past restorations
Regular checkups, cleanings, and X-rays are essential to maintaining your oral health and the appearance of your smile. The fact is, even if you are very diligent in brushing and flossing, you are likely still missing some areas. This is the same reason dentists themselves attend regular checkups.
Oral Prophylaxis
Did you know that most oral health conditions begin with a buildup of plaque and tartar? Tartar can only be removed with professional tools. Oral prophylaxis forms the cornerstone of preventive dentistry. The aim of oral prophylaxis is to remove plaque and tartar in order to leave smooth surfaces that are easier to clean with brushing and flossing.
Dentists and hygienists have several tools available to combat tartar, plaque, and surface stains. These include dental scalers, which are hook-shaped instruments used to manually scrape away tartar, but may also include ultrasonic scaling equipment. Root planing is also done to remove plaque and tartar from below the gum line. Towards the end of your session, a prophy cup may be used to remove surface stains and polish your tooth enamel. You even get to choose your flavor of prophy paste!