Did you know that there were not official guidelines for seeing the dentist 50 years ago? Knowledge of your oral health has come a long way since that time. The American Dental Association now recommends that you visit the dentist at least twice a year for a comprehensive dental exam and cleaning. This is a time when we can take digital x-rays of your teeth to detect the presence of tooth decay. Tooth decay can happen quickly if your teeth are exposed to too many sugars without proper brushing and flossing. Dental exams and cleanings are some of our most important services to help you have great oral health. See what they are and why they are so important!

Dental Exams 101

Dental exams are a part of preventative dentistry. “Preventative dentistry” consists of the services that help you prevent oral health problems such as tooth decay and gum disease. An exam is a basic meeting with our dentist, where Dr. Bockrath will examine your mouth and see if you have oral health problems. He will examine all of your hard and soft tissues of your mouth. That includes your teeth, cheeks, gums, throat, tongue, lips, etc. He will look for abnormalities in your gum tissues and check for oral cancer. Getting this exam (which only takes a few minutes of time) can detect cancer early-on, which could actually save your life. He can also catch oral health problems right when they are starting, helping you to quickly eliminate the problem. However, a dental cleaning generally comes before this dental exam.

What Happens During a Dental Cleaning

We will take digital x-rays of your mouth when you come into our office. X-rays are focused beams of x-ray particles that we pass through your bone (that you won’t even feel). This produces an image on special film, showing the structure of your mouth and teeth. This photograph that we take of your mouth will show us light and dark spots in your mouth, which is how we detect cavities. We then clean your mouth.

We will brush and polish every individual tooth meticulously. We will use special probing tools to remove plaque along your gum line and polishing machine tools to buff your teeth spotless. Our dental hygienists will also floss each tooth and look for areas that are hard to floss. We can also detect gingivitis and other gum disease problems if your gums bleed a lot or are red and irritated. The dental cleaning is a very thorough cleaning that removes all plaque and stuck-on, mineralized plaque (tartar). You can’t get a cleaning like this anywhere else, and it starts your mouth out incredibly clean again.

Oral Health Problems

We mentioned that dental exams help detect tooth decay. You will know tooth decay by the name of “cavities” or “dental caries”. The bad part about many oral health problems is that you can have them without knowing you do. You can’t see a cavity forming, especially because so many of them are inside your tooth. You will notice that there is an oral health problem present because you will start having tooth pain, sensitivity, facial aches, sickness and more. However, these type of symptoms don’t show up until you have severe tooth decay or an infection. This is why dental exams and cleanings are so important. We can detect small cavities through probing tools and digital x-rays while they are still very small.

If we detect tooth decay while small, we prevent you from ever needing major dental work. Tooth decay is no joke. In fact, the National Institutes of Health reports that tooth decay is the most prevalent chronic disease that children and adults have. You get it from eating and not brushing your teeth enough. When you eat, sugars in your food and drink mix with bacteria in your mouth. This forms a sticky, clear (and acidic) substance that coats your teeth. Sometimes you can see it and other times you can’t. This substance will erode your tooth enamel and try to get inside your tooth. This causes surface cavities, or areas of decay. If the plaque wears away your tooth enamel (the outer part), it can get inside and cause major decay in your tooth. That’s why you go to the dentist regularly to be examined! You never want your tooth to decay and an exam can catch that decay early.

Watch Your Oral Health

The best way to prevent cavities is to brush and floss your teeth every day. The American Dental Association recommends brushing and flossing at least twice a day. Many adults and children don’t brush their teeth enough and up to 30% don’t brush their teeth at all during the day. No wonder tooth decay and gum disease is so common! Get ahead of cavities and other oral health issues by scheduling a dental exam and cleaning today. Call Mountain Aire Dentistry at (303) 731-7755 to learn more about protecting your oral health!