What Happens During Visits to Our General Dentistry Office

In our general dentistry practice, we recommend that you schedule your visits no more than six months apart. This is so that we can ensure that your teeth are in the best condition, and you maintain your oral health at optimum levels. When you consider that your digestive system begins, the very first step, in the mouth you can see why we believe in frequent checkups. Everything that you put into your mouth or occurs naturally in your mouth will eventually find its way into your digestive system and maybe even into your blood stream. Things like oral bacteria or a live infection should never make it past the mouth and while daily brushing and flossing can help, it is not the solve-all. On your six-month visits, we will ensure that your mouth is very healthy and offset these kinds of concerns. Interestingly it is the very routine, which we go through each bi-annual visit that causes some of our patients to wonder if they really need to come in so often. The answer is yes.

General dentist visits usually start and end much the same way every time. If this is the case, you are lucky because it means that we have not found any problems that need addressing. We start you out with a thorough cleaning. The cleaning targets excessive plaque buildup on the teeth and around the soft tissue of the gums. Removing this plaque helps to reduce the risk of decay. Next you may get a fluoride treatment to make sure your teeth are getting the sufficient amount of fluoride in order to strengthen them and prevent cavities. After this, we will polish your teeth so that you leave with a bright white smile. The dentist will also perform a complete examination in your mouth. During this process, we are checking for cavities, soft spots, and potential infections that need to be treated. Finally, you get to leave with a brand new toothbrush.

Patients have asked us why we give out toothbrushes at the end of each visit to our general dentistry practice. The answer is actually, to remind you that the time has come to replace your old toothbrush at home. We do not have a preference for the brand of brush you use, or whether you use an electric or manual toothbrush. What we do care about is that you replace it once every six months when it has gotten to the end of its effective life span. Hence handing you a brush is less of a present and more of a reminder.

What you may not know..
Among the most important things that we do when you come in for a general dentistry, visit is to inspect your mouth for oral cancer. In the fight against this devastating disease, dentists have taken a leading role. By providing you with a screening every time you are in the office for a routine visit, we can help to identify if you are at risk and can catch the disease before it spreads, in the event that you do have symptoms. If we identify anything of concern we will either order further testing or refer you to an oncologist.