Dental Checkup
Why is a Dental Checkup Important?
The benefits of dental checkup are multifold.
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A regular checkup allows your dentist to monitor your dental health, the condition of your teeth and gums, and any cavities in the early stages.
- Monitoring this helps your dentist treat these conditions at the earliest before they become advanced or painful.
- Monitoring teeth, especially in younger children and teens during the dental checkup appointments help the dentist spot any abnormal eruptions or malocclusions, that can be promptly treated using braces or other orthodontic options.
- Did you know that many people have health conditions that has to be discovered at the dental checkup or are more likely waiting to be discovered?
- Many a time, people are diagnosed with diabetes due to early signs that are seen in their oral cavities that appear before any systemic changes.
- A dental checkup helps in identifying dental problems in loved ones who are old or have special needs, who otherwise wouldn’t be able to spot a cavity or gum problem unless it causes them pain or discomfort.
Our dental experts at Suman Dentist also insist their patients to visit them twice a year for a routine dental checkup appointment.
What does a dental checkup consist of at Suman Dentist?
Before we learn about what happens during a dental checkup, which are the 8 signs you need a dental checkup?
- You last visited a dentist 6 months back
- You feel tartar and calculus development on the tongue-side of your lower teeth
- You notice a slight reddening of your gums
- Tooth pain
- Persistent canker sores
- Sensitivity of a tooth or teeth to hot or cold stimulus
- White or light brown spots on your teeth
- Chronic headaches
How do I prepare for a dentist appointment?
Now that you know what happens during a dental checkup appointment at Suman Dentist clinics, many of you may be wondering “How do I prepare for a dentist’s appointment?”
Before you visit your dentist for a dental checkup or any other appointment, here is what you need to do to prepare yourself:
- Be confident - Dental appointments can be quite intimidating for most people, and one of the main reasons for them delaying or missing their routine dental checkups.
When you have decided to go for regular dental checkups, be confident and face any dental fears that you may have. Our dentists will help solve any dental problem that you have, so stay calm!
- It may take a while, so schedule it accordingly - While dental checkups take anything between 15-30 minutes, sometimes they can take longer. This usually happens when it is your first dental checkup or you haven’t had a checkup or cleaning session in a long time.
Make sure you schedule the rest of your day accordingly.
- Bring all necessary documents - When you visit our Suman Dentist clinic for your routine dental checkup, our dentist will make a detailed investigation about your past dental and medical history, your current medical condition and medications that you are taking.
Make sure you carry all the necessary reports and documents along with a list of your medications for every dental appointment, including a checkup.
- Brush your teeth and floss, if possible before your appointment -Yes, you are visiting your dentist for a dental checkup and a dental cleaning is due but that in no way means you turn up with an unclean mouth.
Whenever you visit your dentist, make sure you brush your teeth well and also floss. Dentists appreciate patients with good dental hygiene.
- Arrive early but await your turn - Dentists are busy professionals and it is not uncommon to see a line of patients in the waiting room of their clinics. This is true for our Suman Dentist clinics too.
When you book your appointment for a dental checkup or treatment, make sure you keep it. It is always a good idea to turn up 10-15 minutes before your scheduled time to fill any forms and relax before your turn.
However, arriving early does not mean your dentist will attend to you before your scheduled time. Sometimes, it may so happen that the patient before you may take a little while and slightly delay your turn. It is good manners to accommodate.
- List down any concerns or questions that you may have - Whenever you visit your dentist, most people have their own queries and questions that they would like to ask their dentists. Make a list of them so that your dentist can address them all at once!
What does a dental cleaning include?
The dental checkup, as we saw earlier, comprises of two steps. After the evaluation step is completed, the dentist will perform a dental cleaning.
Dental cleaning, or scaling and polishing, involves the removal of plaque, tartar and calculus from around and on your teeth and gums using an ultrasonic device called the scaler.
After the teeth have been cleaned, your dentist will polish your teeth using a gritty toothpaste.
What Should be Followed between Dental Checkups?
After your dental checkup visit and before the next, there are a few things you must do to maintain your dental health. These include:
- Brushing your teeth twice daily and using a fluoride-containing toothpaste
- Floss regularly
- If recommended by your dentist, you can use a mouthwash to reduce the bacterial levels in your mouth
- Avoid using your teeth to open bottle caps or tear wrappers
It is now clear that dental checkup is important and vital for our oral health as well as overall health. One question that we are asked often is “Why is it that Suman Dentist does not charge for dental checkups?
As we saw above, a dental checkup at Suman Dentist is a two-step process with an evaluation followed by teeth cleaning. In order to do the teeth cleaning and polishing step, our dentists do a mandatory evaluation step as per protocol.
This cleaning and polishing treatment is chargeable and so, we do not charge separately for dental checkups!
When was your last dental checkup appointment? Maybe it is time to visit us at Suman Dentist for your routine bi-yearly dental checkup, today!