Regular dental exams are one of the easiest ways to keep your mouth healthy and avoid issues like cavities and gum disease. Still, we recognize that not everyone enjoys their visits. Some individuals in the Great Neck and Briarwood area have phobias connected to dental cleanings, and COVID-19 has further complicated the way we perform routine appointments and checkups. With all this in mind, it’s important to understand what to expect before you arrive at our friendly clinics for your next exam. While each patient is unique, and their appointment reflects that, here are a few things you can expect to happen when you come in for a dental checkup.
Cleaning
It’s always important that you keep up with your at-home oral hygiene with regular brushing, and flossing. Still, no home treatment can remove all of your built-up plaque. In our clinics, we use professional, custom tools to loosen and remove what you’ve missed on your own. We’ll use a small mirror to look far into your mouth and identify plaque and tartar. Once identified, we’ll use a scaler to scrape it out and remove it from your teeth. The next step is a nice polish for your pearly whites. Using a gritty toothpaste and electric toothbrush, we’ll do a deep clean throughout your mouth, scrubbing each of your teeth along the way. Your cleaning also comes with an expert flossing session, where we get deep in between all your teeth–even the ones in the back that are hardest to reach! Finally, after a rinse, we’ll do a fluoride treatment as a layer of protection for the months to come.
Exam
Another important step during your routine visit is the exam. During this portion of your appointment, we’ll take a close look at your teeth, gums, tongue, and other parts of your mouth to identify any concerning issues. That might include cavities, chips and cracks, and even signs of oral cancer. As professionals, we’re trained to see the problems you might miss–and tackle them before they advance to more complicated situations. Spending a little time on your teeth now can indeed prevent more complicated concerns down the line, and this is especially true since oral health is connected to the health of other body parts.
X-Rays
We want to make sure we use every available resource to keep your mouth healthy. That’s one of the reasons we use X-Rays to look more deeply into your jaws and check for any developing problems, including cavities, decay, and impacted teeth. In our clinics, we use digital X-Rays. These use up to 90 percent less radiation than other approaches while still offering superior image quality. During your appointment, we’ll take a look at your X-Ray findings together and chat about any worries.
Discussion
Before you head out the door after your appointment, it’s key that you take a few minutes to ask our staff any questions you have. There are no “silly” questions, so don’t be shy! We’re happy to chat with you about potential fixes to any issues, walk you through various treatment options, and review basic hygiene practices.
Now that you know a little more about what to expect during an exam, it’s time to schedule one! Simply give us a call or fill out the interest form here. We can’t wait to work with you!