What Happens on a Bi-Annual Dentist Visit?

If you have visited the dentist recently, you know we are always recommending that you come in to visit us at least once every six months. This is not only because we like to keep track of what's going on with your mouth, but also because it allows us to perform routine maintenance on your teeth in much the same way as when you see your doctor for your annual physical. One of the lessons we have learned is that preventive medicine is far better and often cheaper than cures. As a result, we work really hard to make sure that you, the patient, are well informed on how to best take care of your teeth and perform the routine oral health steps required to keep your teeth in beautiful condition. As your dentist, we are completely dedicated to keeping your teeth healthy with routine and preventive care, emergency treatment if you need it, and normal dental solutions like fixing cavities as they arise. All of these become far easier if you have a regular routine of coming in to see your dentist at least once every six months.

What happens on your bi-annual dentist visit?

• Your teeth are examined.
• You receive a dental cleaning.
• Diagnostic work.
• Preventative steps are taken.
• Restorations can be completed.

When you come into our dentist office for your biannual visit, you are doing a number of things that will help improve the longevity and life-cycle of your teeth. When you come in to see us, we will offer you a professional cleaning, which is part of the routine checkup. Professional cleaning removes plaque and tartar buildup, which can prevent the occurrence of periodontal disease. But deep cleaning of your teeth is not something that can be achieved with your regular toothbrush. We also will floss your teeth, getting in between the grooves and in those hard-to-reach tight spaces that you may have messed with your toothbrush or while flossing. This allows us to make sure that when you walk out of the dentist office, you have a perfectly clean mouth.

In addition to providing routine cleaning,we will also look for early warning signs of disease. We will be looking for problems that you may not have felt yet or may not see. Many issues like cavities, gum disease, and even oral cancer are not visible or do not cause you discomfort until they are in a more advanced stage. When you come in on a regular basis, this allows us to check for these kinds of diseases and catch them early. In this way, we can treat them before they become more serious. Oral cancer screening has become part of the procedures we perform at our dentist office.

Here's what you need to know, even if your teeth are perfectly healthy: as your dentist, we will make recommendations and tips that will help you continue your dental care. We help you keep on the routine, remind you to change out your brushes, and give you the advice you need to avoid things like cavities, gum disease, or periodontal disease.