Dental Check Ups

Dental checks up are one of the first appointments you will attend for, and are also important to attend on a regular basis. At these appointments we will be checking your dental health to ensure no hidden complications are developing in the background.

We will also give you best practices on how to look after your teeth in between each visit, so you can keep your natural teeth for as long as possible. At the check up we will:

• Examine the health of your teeth (looking for holes (cavities), plaque building up, signs of bruxism etc)
• Check the health of the gums (signs of periodontal disease or any other abnormalities)
• Check for signs of oral cancer (early detection saves lives)
• Give advice and best practices for what you can do at home to look after your teeth (and keep them for longer)

Our dentists have the skill set to spot any potential early signs of oral cancer and can make any referrals for further investigation. The guidelines for check ups is to attend at least every 6 months (unless your treating dentist says differently). This puts us in a very good position to spot any changes in your mouth, especially in regards to  signs of oral cancer.

Cavities, Plaque and Tartar

Its important to understand that dental pain is not often the first sign that a complication is developing. Cavities for example can start to appear (which we can spot) before you the patient, starts to get any discomfort or pain. If cavities are left untreated, they can get bigger (more treatment required), and as a result bacteria gets into the tooth which can eventually mean root canal treatment is needed, or in the worst case scenario (the tooth cannot be saved) an extraction.

Plaque is what happens when bacteria is allowed to build up on the surfaces of your teeth. Our mouths are the perfect havens for bacteria to grow, and during everyday life, our mouth will come into contact with many different types of bacteria from different sources e.g. biting nails, chewing pen tops, holding item in mouth like keys etc. The best way to protect our teeth is by ensuring you follow a healthy oral hygiene routine e.g. brushing twice a day, flossing once a day, using mouth wash etc. When plaque isn’t cleaned as effectively and is left on our teeth, it eventually turns in a hard sticky substance known as tartar.

At this stage, conventional cleaning methods won’t be able to remove this hard substance. By seeing your dentist, we can use professional dental tools to get to those hard to reach areas and to safely remove from your teeth. Its recommended you go to the dentist every 6 months as we can target the areas that you may be missing (without realizing) and help break up these tough deposits before they lead to cavities.

Dental problems have a tendency to get worse if they are left alone. This leads to more complex and longer treatment times to bring you back to dental health. Our aim is to always keep your natural teeth for as long as possible, and to help educate you on what you can do to help yourselves when at home. If you are due a check up or need some advice/help, please do not hesitate to either call us, or fill out the short form below.