Downtown Dental Excellence offers

Dental Exams and Checkups

One of the most important aspects of proper oral care is regular dental exams and cleanings. These dental exams can help to ensure that your teeth, gums, tongue, mouth, and even jawbone stay healthy. Going to dental cleanings and dental exams regularly can help you avoid more major oral health issues down the line.

Choose Downtown Dental Excellence for your Dental Exam/Checkup today.

Call Downtown Dental Excellence Today!

(281) 592-0597

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Why You Need Regular Dental Exams

Regular dental exams allow your dentist to examine the quality of your oral health and diagnose issues. Some of these oral health problems may still be in their early stages, allowing your dentist to prevent them from getting worse, or even reverse them altogether.

Studies have shown that adults who visit the dentist often—and continue to schedule more visits for dental exams—have the lowest amounts of teeth lost. This is no surprise. By visiting the dentist regularly for dental exams, you allow your dentist to treat oral health issues as they arise, and clean plaque and buildup better than you can at home.

Even with excellent at-home care, it is extremely important to visit your dentist regularly to keep your teeth, gums, tongue, cheeks, and jawbone healthy and strong.

What Happens at an Exam?

During a dental exam, your dentist will check your mouth for different forms of oral health issues, including:

  • Gum Disease
  • Tooth Decay
  • Oral Cancer
  • Infections

This process will include an inspection of your mouth, as well as an X-ray. The dentist will look over the X-ray to see if there was anything that they missed during the inspection.

Generally, dental cleanings are paired with dental exams. If you visit the dentist regularly, these cleanings should be relatively pain-free—if not completely pain-free. The better care you take of your oral health, the more likely it will be that the cleaning will be a simple and easy process. Also, regular trips to the dentist will ensure an easier cleaning.

During a cleaning, your dentist will remove plaque and tartar, while also removing any surface stains. Your dentist will clean your teeth and will often polish them as well. Generally, between the ages of 17 and 25, wisdom teeth are formed. During a dental exam, the wisdom teeth may be discovered, and the dentist can then discuss options with you, such as extraction.

If your dentist does find something wrong with your teeth, gums, cheeks, tongue, or jawbone during the dental exam, they will discuss different treatment options with you. If you have any questions about at-home oral care, a dental exam is the ideal time to ask those questions. Your dentist will be happy to walk you through how to properly brush, floss, and rinse your mouth at home to ensure proper oral health. They will also give you any additional tips that will help with your specific teeth and gums.

What Happens if You Wait Too Long?

If it’s been a while since your last cleaning and dental exam, your dentist may need to take more drastic measures to ensure your oral health, including:

  • Deep Cleanings
  • Fillings
  • Root Canal Therapy
  • Tooth Extractions

Some of these procedures can be very uncomfortable and may require additional steps to be taken. They are also much more costly than a regular cleaning and dental exam.

Tooth extractions, for instance, require the dentist to remove a tooth or teeth, and then replace the tooth or teeth with an implant, bridge, or even a denture. Often, these extractions can be avoided with regular trips to the dentist.

A deep cleaning (also known as scaling and root planing) may be required if tarter and other debris has made it below the gum line. This procedure is more in-depth than a regular cleaning, and is often avoidable with proper at-home care and regular visits to the dentist.

Fillings are a common procedure, and can be a pretty simple fix. If you don’t see your dentist for a dental exam, though, the tooth decay that you are experiencing may continue to get worse—leading to infection of the root canal. If this happens, root canal therapy will be required, which is a much more difficult procedure than a filling.

Don’t wait around for a major oral health issue to schedule an appointment with your dentist. Instead, make sure that you have your next appointment in the books.

How to Book and Exam

A regular cleaning and checkup should be scheduled every six months. Generally, a dental insurance company will cover at least two cleanings and checkups a year. If it’s been at least six months since your last appointment and you don’t have your next appointment set, now is a good time to do so.

If you haven’t been to the dentist in a while, that’s okay. It’s never too late to schedule a cleanup and dental exam. Still, the sooner you schedule an appointment, the better.

Call Downtown Dental Excellence Today!

(281) 592-0597

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Emergency Appointments

There will be times when emergencies come up, and you’ll need to see the dentist in between regular dental exams. This may be the case when:

  • You are experiencing pain or pressure.
  • A tooth falls out or is knocked out.
  • Your gums are red and/or bleeding
  • A tooth is damaged or cracked.
  • Your tongue or cheeks have been damaged.

If you experience a dental emergency, do not wait until your next scheduled appointment. Depending on the severity, consider setting an appointment as soon as possible, or even setting an emergency appointment.

Scheduling an Appointment

Scheduling an appointment with a dentist is a simple process, and it starts with finding the right dentist. If you have dental insurance, consider which dentists are in your network. From there, take a look at the reputation of that dentist. You can also ask friends and family members for suggestions.

Once the right dentist is found, simply call their office and ask about availability. Set an appointment, and make sure to make it to the appointment on time, with your insurance information ready.

Take cleanings and dental exams seriously! If you don’t already have an appointment scheduled, set your next appointment today.