Do Regular Dental Exams and Cleanings Mean You Have Poor Oral Health?    

Are you getting concerned with the number of times your dentist recommended dental exams and cleanings? If every time you visit a kids’ dentist near you, they talk of how your child needs a dental cleaning and exam, it can get you worried about their dental health. Dr. Shalini Sanku tries to assure patients that oral exams and cleanings near them are not because they have poor dental health. Instead, they are measures to sustain proper oral health, so you never have to worry about various dental issues.

What Are Dental Exams and Cleanings?

They are sessions you have with a dentist done to examine and clean your mouth. Usually, dental exams and cleanings are conducted periodically, with about three months between each session. The sessions are done for both patients with underlying dental issues and those with healthy mouths.

A dental exam is a checkup where the dentist examines and evaluates the state of your dental health. During a dental exam, the dentist will conduct various tests, some physical and others digital. These tests will provide a deeper analysis of your oral health. Some dental exams are more thorough than others because of suspicion of underlying dental issues. However, for routine dental exams, a physical test may be sufficient for monitoring your dental health.

On the other hand, dental cleanings are oral hygiene sessions conducted by either a dentist or a dental hygienist. Cleanings are meant to remove plaque and tartar from the surfaces of your teeth. Your first dental cleaning session may be more intense than the following ones. The reason is that procedures for root planing and scaling are necessary when dealing with plaque and tartar. However, if your dentist is not concerned with these things, you only need teeth brushing and flossing to sustain excellent dental hygiene.

Routine Exams and Cleanings for Kids

Dental exams and cleanings are not set aside for particular patients in dentistry. Ideally, even if you visit a pediatric dental facility, you will find that kids dentists in Conway also practice routine dental exams and cleanings for children. The reason is that exams and cleanings are meant to be preventive dental measures that boost dental health. Besides, children need routine exams and cleanings for the following reasons:

• Children often slack in dental hygiene – every parent will tell you that they have struggled to get their children to brush their teeth every night before bed. Not only that, children are not intentional about removing all food residues from their mouths. Therefore, consider routine dental cleanings as your way of heightening oral hygiene for your child.
• Preventing dental cavities – children are very prone to dental cavities as soon as they start eating food. By the time they are age 6, they have a higher risk of getting dental cavities than any other age. Therefore, regular dental exams can ensure that a dental expert continually examines and monitors their teeth to eliminate the potential of tooth cavities. Besides, improved oral hygiene through regular dental cleanings will further prevent the risks of catching cavities.
• Fighting various dental infections – other than dental cavities, other dental infections like gum disease can be detrimental to oral health. Keeping a clean mouth, however, is a great way to fight various oral infections.
• Detecting dental problems early – if you could catch dental issues in the early stages all the time, then you would never have to end up in a dental ER near you. Unfortunately, it is not always the case because people are not diligent with regular dental exams. However, you can choose a different path for your child by ensuring that they get to visit a dentist every three months to have their mouths checked for any anomalies. The good news is that catching dental issues early makes them better treatable with a reduced risk for permanent damages.

Summary

Whether you know it or not, visiting a dentist regularly may be the best gift you can offer your child regarding dental health. Just because you have a dental appointment every three months does not mean you have poor oral health. If anything, it should be an indicator that you take your dental health seriously enough to book then to appointments even without an underlying oral issue.