Dental Check-ups: Preventive Care and Oral Hygiene
It is estimated that around ninety percent of bodily diseases are connected to oral health. Hence, it is very important to take the utmost care of your teeth and gums and maintain proper oral hygiene habits.
Why are dental check-ups important?
Prevention, as we know, is better than cure. Visiting the dentist on a regular basis, at least once in every six months, helps you to keep your mouth as healthy as possible, keeping tooth decay and gum diseases at bay.
What happens at a dental check-up?
A regular dental check-up consists of an oral examination and dental cleaning.
Examination
- Your mouth is examined to check for any problems and treatments are recommended if you need any.
- At first, the dental team looks for cavities in your teeth. Sometimes X-rays are used to detect cavities in between teeth.
- The dentist also checks for plaque and tartar on your teeth. Plaque refers to a colorless, sticky film of bacteria that can develop on your teeth and gums while tartar or dental calculus is yellowish and is formed on teeth and at or below the gum line when plaque gets hardened (due to not being removed in time). Tartar cannot be removed by brushing and flossing. Plaque and tartar can cause a lot of dental problems such as cavities, bad breath, etc. and oral diseases like gingivitis.
- Then, the dental team checks your gums thoroughly with a special tool to measure the gap between your teeth and gums. The lesser the space, the healthier your gums are.
- Also, the other parts of your mouth (tongue, throat, etc.) and your face, neck, etc. are checked for signs of any other diseases or problems.
Cleaning
- Dental cleaning or prophylaxis is done at regular check-ups to maintain oral health and hygiene. It is a preventive measure for maintaining your teeth.
- The dental professional will thoroughly remove all the plaque from your teeth. Prophylaxis includes teeth scaling [ขูดหินปูน, which is the term in Thai], were using special tools the tartar is removed from your teeth.
- Next, a polishing paste is used to polish your teeth to remove all stains and make it smooth and further remove plaque. Teeth polishing also makes your teeth look better.
Moreover, the dental team will guide you with proper methods to take care of your oral hygiene and talk about your diet and other habits such as smoking and drinking. The dentist can also suggest you which dental and oral products you should use.
