Visiting the dentist should not be something that is done once a while. Your mouth is the place where you put food in and smoke every day. It is vulnerable to all kinds of infections and disease when you neglect to take care of. If you have regular appointments with a dentist, you will be able to find out any problem that is in your gum early and get it fixed.
What does will happen in Your Dental Visit?
Each dental visit is divided into checkup and cleaning. The Sheffield dentist will start off by check your head and neck for lymph node which can be a sign of cancer. He will look in your mouth and check for signs of red/white patch, sore that is not healing, lump, and other suspicious lesions. When you are in the dentist office, you must tell him about any problems you have such as swallowing, biting down food, and etc. It will give the dentist clue on your problem and prescribe the right treatment.
The dentist will check your gum and measure the depth of spaces. The spaces on healthy gums are shallow. When you have gum disease, the spaces will be deeper. During a checkup, the dentist can detect cavities in the early stage. Some cavities are hard to see but the dentist can use an x-ray to find them. Small cavities can be fixed by refilling with a cement-like substance. If the cavity is too deep, the entire tooth will need to be extracted and replaced with an artificial tooth. A dentist can teach you the correct way to brush your teeth and chew your food to reduce the chances of developing cavities.
The dentist can perform cleaning on your teeth to ensure you have healthy gum. Many people don’t have the habit to keep clean teeth. When you go to the dentist, he can perform a standard regular cleaning which involves using a tool to scrape off the plaque. Plaque is a sticky layer formed by the bacteria. Plaque that is not removed promptly can harden and cause tooth decay. It is difficult to remove plaque by brushing and flossing so you need to go to the dentist to get it removed. After scaling the teeth, the dentist may have them polished using a gritty paste. Polishing can remove some stains that are on the surface of the teeth. Lastly, the dentist will use a floss to floss the areas between your teeth.
What to Do in Between Dental Visit?
After the dental visit, you will need to continue to exercise good oral hygiene to maintain healthy teeth and gum. You should brush your teeth in the morning and before you go to sleep at night. The toothpaste you use should contain fluoride. When the bristle on your toothbrush loses shape, it is time to get a new toothbrush as it is no longer effective. It is recommended that you change your toothbrush every 3 months.
Every time after a meal, you should floss to clean the debris that is stuck in between your teeth. In addition, you should avoid snacking in between meals. Snacking in between meals can increase plaque acid and cause your teeth to become susceptible to decay. Quitting smoking can also reduce the risk of getting gum disease. Smoking can produce toxins that make the tartar more aggressive so that the teeth rot faster.