A bi-annual dental visit benefits a patient by cleaning teeth (removal of plaque, tarter, etc.) and to inspect the mouth visually and with X-rays to evaluate potential problems. The cleaning removes excess bacteria that lead to inevitable problems with teeth and gums.

If avoiding tooth loss is not incentive enough to get one into the dental chair, then it is important for a patient to realize that gum disease can lead to more extreme health problems, because as any good holistic physician will say, the whole body is connected.

Preventive dental care at home is obviously the corner stone to a healthy mouth. A regular regime of brushing and flossing keeps a dental visit short, and will cut down on visits as well. A qualified professional will direct a patient towards the best methods to continue their dental hygiene.

Tools and techniques for cleaning have evolved over the past few decades. Scaling has become more common, cleaning plaque from under gums, not just on teeth. Ultrasonic tools vibrate lightly, removing plaque without as much scraping. As always, polishing is still utilized, giving the patient that wonderful clean mouth feeling after a dental visit.

A patient’s dental hygiene has a direct correlation to the amount of time in a chair. Cleaner teeth and regular visits help cut down on the need for extra cleaning. X-rays are required periodically in order to identify possible cavities and decay. A normal visit to the dentist should not take more than one hour.

In this century there is no reason for pain to occur during a dental visit, so if a patient experiences pain, it is important that they inform their dentist or hygienist immediately. Various methods of light sedation are available that have not been in the past. Your dentist has a concern for teeth that a patient may not have. It is important for a patient to remember that slight admonishments are in their best interest.