Dental Checkups & Teeth Cleanings – Millersville, MD
Keep Your Smile Beautiful and Healthy
Can you remember the last time you got your teeth professionally cleaned? According to a survey by the American Dental Association, 42 percent of Americans don’t see their dentist on a regular basis. Believe it or not, avoiding dental checkups and cleanings can spell disaster for your oral health. At Transcendent Smiles, we strive to keep your smile beautiful and healthy for as long as we can, and a critical part of that routine involves regular visits with us. If it has been a while since you last had a dental appointment, give us a call today to schedule dental checkups and teeth cleanings with our Millersville, MD dentist!
What Can You Expect at Your Dental Checkup and Teeth Cleaning Visit?
The first portion of your appointment entails meeting one-on-one with our dentist. We take highly detailed digital X-rays and diagnostic images to detect any warning signs of problems like cavities, gum disease, or oral cancer. Then we conduct a thorough evaluation of your mouth, including all of your teeth, gums, and existing dental work. Using what we find, we can then create a personalized treatment plan to address any issues and answer any questions you may have regarding your oral health.
Once the checkup portion of your appointment is complete, our hygienist will take it from there. She will use special instruments to remove plaque that has built up in areas like along your gum line and between your teeth. To finish up, she’ll polish your teeth with a special paste that removes surface stains and makes them truly shine!
How Often Should You Attend a Dental Checkup and Teeth Cleaning?
The American Dental Association recommends that most people visit their dentist for a checkup and cleaning twice a year, or every six months. However, there are certain health conditions that might mean you’ll have to attend these appointments on a more frequent basis, some of which include:
- HIV/AIDS
- Diabetes, especially if it’s poorly controlled
- Pregnancy, which increases the risk of gum disease
- Tobacco use
- Cancer treatment
- Heart disease
When you come to see us, our dentist can evaluate the state of your oral health and determine how often you’ll need to come in for a checkup.
Why Are These Visits Important?
While brushing and flossing at home go a long way in maintaining a healthy smile, the fact is they’re simply not enough. There are many areas of your mouth that your toothbrush and floss simply can’t reach. Plaque can then accumulate in these spots, hardening into tartar, which you can’t get rid of on your own. At that point, only a dental professional can remove it, which is where regular teeth cleanings come in. We can easily clear tartar away from your teeth, which prevents a whole host of oral health problems.
The checkup is just as important. Oftentimes, dental health issues like cavities don’t show symptoms until serious damage has already been done. By the time you complain of a toothache, you might need more than just a filling to treat your cavity. To save yourself time and money on extensive dental treatments, let our dentist examine your mouth at least twice a year. She can pick up on signs of potential problems and get them taken care of while treatment is still relatively easy and inexpensive.