PREVENTIVE DENTAL HYGIENE MAINTENANCE
APPOINTMENTS FOR GOOD OVERALL HEALTH
Preventive dentistry aims to maintain the health and quality of life of patients by identifying and preventing oral and systemic diseases before they become a risk factor and before they cause big problems.
Having a good oral hygiene regiment at a personalized frequency is critical to keeping not only your mouth but the rest of your body healthy.
When was the last time you had your preventive dental hygiene appointment and exam?
If you say more than 6 months it’s time to schedule your appointment with your dentist.
Here is why.
When you have pain in your mouth this indicates that the condition has progressed. When you get a toothache this most likely means that the tooth either has an infection or has a pretty severe problem. Dentistry does not hurt until it’s too late to treat the issue preventively.
The reason we suggest preventive maintenance is to avoid issues such as these, and to avoid emergencies.
The Preventive Oral Check-Up.
In addition to preventing big problems and avoiding future huge investments, long times in the dental chair, many visits, pain and discomfort , we suggest regular preventive check ups at your dental office.
Our Preventive Checkup
At Iris Dentistry we aim to educate our patients and to make them aware of the importance of performing preventive check-ups and periodic monitoring in maintaining the proper function of the mouth and teeth. It is cheaper to prevent disease than to treat it.
What might be the cost of a filling today will become the cost of a root canal if not prevented.
Ourcheckup includes:
A clinical examination,
clinical evaluation with the aid of radiographs, assessment of the supporting structures of teeth ie. gums and bone, caries and oral cancer assessment.
Oral Cancer is a very prevelant Cancer that affects many patients per year. Prevention is key to treating this cancer.
Our dental cleaning includes:
Removing plaque and tartar (hard stone like material) that has accumulated below the gum line and in between the teeth, polishing to remove any stains from tea, coffee and other staining consumables, and possible fluoride to remineralize the teeth for those patients that are highly susceptible to carries.
In addition to this our dentist and or hygienist may offer some recommendations for a better home regiment and possible diet changes that will benefit the patient orally and systemically until the next scheduled oral examination.
When is it ideal to perform preventive maintenance?
The ideal time to have your teeth maintained professionally by a hygienist is every three months. If you are an avid flosser and brusher , if you use an electric toothbrush and have a balanced diet with minimal sugar consumption you can postpone the preventive maintenance to six months.
Frequency of these appointments generally is personalized to the individual needs of each patient.
Do you know?
What happens to your mouth affects the rest of your body? Periodontal (gum) disease and heart disease go hand in hand. As well other ailments that are associated with the mouth are, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, low birth weight babies, stroke, bacterial pneumonia and many other systemic diseases.
As well did you know that your dentist can detect the onset of many systemic diseases from an oral examination?