Dental Checkups & Cleanings – Athens, GA

Why Are Regular Dental Checkups & Cleanings Important?

Trips to the dentist may sound like a hassle, but they’re crucial to your quality of life. Failing to get dental checkups and cleanings has a lot of downsides.

You see, these regular visits let you avoid severe oral issues. They remove the built-up plaque and bacteria that otherwise give you cavities and gum disease. Even when a small problem does happen, the visits detect and treat them before anything worse happens. That way, you can avoid dilemmas like toothaches, tooth loss, etc.

There’s also the fact that checkups and cleanings save you time and money. Each one only takes an hour or so, and it often receives full coverage from dental insurance. That means “skipping out” may force you to get a pricier dental treatment a little later. In fact, you’d likely require restoration work – a kind of dentistry that’s invasive, lengthy, and costly.

What to Expect During a Dental Checkup

At our office, a dental checkup includes the following:

• An Oral Exam – Our dentists start each checkup with an oral exam, assessing your teeth, bite, and existing dental work. They’ll even look for signs of oral cancer as part of the process.
• Medical History Review – As part of your checkup, we may review your medical history and medications. Such medicines can affect your long-term oral health sometimes.
• Dental X-rays – About once a year, we’ll take dental X-rays during the checkup to see if you have oral problems beneath the surface.
• Custom Treatment Plan(s) – If we find any issues during the oral exam, we’ll draft a treatment plan based on the diagnosis. We’ll then lay it out for you step-by-step.
• A Brief Q&A – Our dentists will gladly answer your treatment questions near the end of your visit.

What to Expect During a Dental Cleaning 

Home oral care can’t handle everything, so our practice performs teeth cleaning after each checkup. It features elements like:

• Precise Cleaning – One of our dental hygienists will use special instruments to remove the plaque (and tartar) between your teeth and along your gum line.
• Polishing – After the main cleaning, we’ll polish your teeth and help them shine. This step removes your grin’s minor stains.
• Flossing – We’ll floss between your teeth when most of the cleaning is done. After all, floss gets rid of plaque that we may have missed earlier.
• Fluoride Treatment – Our team may apply a fluoridated gel to your teeth for a finishing touch. In that case, the material will bond to your teeth and protect them from decay and cavities.