If you are looking for one simple, inexpensive thing you can do to protect your smile and improve your overall health, getting regular dental checkups and cleanings should be at the top of your list. Regular dental checkups are included in most dental insurance plans, so it’s essentially free. And your regular dental visits will help you keep your teeth healthy for life, while protecting you from some serious health risks like stroke.
Are you overdue for a regular dental checkup in Butler? We invite you to enjoy the compassionate, welcoming environment at Advanced Dentistry of Butler, where Dr. Bob has served the community for 40 years. Please call (724) 282-4436 today to schedule your appointment.
Benefits of Regular Cleanings and Checkups
If you are wondering whether regular cleanings and checkups are worth it, consider a few important benefits.
- If you want to whiten your smile, getting regular cleanings is the best way to get a healthy bump in the brightness of your teeth. Your hygienist can remove stains that you can’t eliminate at home.
- Reduce your spending on restorative dentistry by preventing cavities or detecting them when they’re small.
- Preserve your teeth by reducing the risk of gum disease.
- Protect yourself from serious health dangers like stroke. A recent study showed that people who saw their dentists regularly had a 23% lower risk of stroke than people who just went to the dentist when they had a problem.
Not bad for a treatment that is probably already included in your insurance plan.
Oral Hygiene: A Team Effort
Oral hygiene–keeping your teeth and gums clean of oral bacteria–protects you from cavities and gum disease. Successful oral hygiene is a team effort. Part of it you do at home with twice-daily tooth brushing and daily flossing.
But as good as your hygiene is, there will probably be small amounts of plaque and food that you miss. This may be tiny and usually is at the gum line. This leftover plaque absorbs minerals in your saliva (that, ironically, are there to repair your teeth) and becomes hard, like fossils on your teeth.
This hardened material, called tartar or dental calculus, is something you can’t remove at home, and that’s what your hygienist does. She removes this buildup. Left alone, this buildup shelters oral bacteria, which contribute to your risk of gum disease and cavities.
In the process, your hygienist can find places where the buildup shows your oral hygiene might need improvement. They can help you get better so each future visit becomes faster and easier.
A Complete Checkup
Once you’ve had your teeth cleaned, you will get a complete evaluation from Dr. Bob. He will look at all your teeth and identify whether there is any decay developing. When you get checkups regularly, decay can often be detected before it needs to be treated. You may be able to reverse the decay process with diet changes, oral hygiene changes, or other strategies.
Dr. Bob will also assess your level of gum disease and tell you if any additional treatments are necessary.
He will also screen you for oral cancer using our Velscope technique, which is simple, noninvasive, and highly accurate. Detecting oral cancer early can literally save your life.
Are You Overdue?
If you’re overdue for a checkup and cleaning in Butler, we can help. Please call (724) 282-4436 today for an appointment with experienced dentist Dr. Bob at Advanced Dentistry of Butler.