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Checkups & Cleaning
Maintenance for Your Oral Health
Are you doing everything you can to protect your pearly whites? It’s never too late to ramp-up your oral hygiene regimen to give yourself the best shot at keeping your natural teeth into your golden years and beyond!
Step 1 – Your Nutritional Profile Nutrition
Affects every aspect of your health the same way putting sub-standard fuel in your car impacts its performance. If you want the best for your teeth, avoid refined sugars and simple carbs that do little to fuel your body and lots to put your teeth at risk of decay.
Step 2 – Lifestyle
Legal or not, consumption of alcohol and drugs have a negative impact on the look and health of your teeth and gums. Alcohol is highly acidic, and smoke of any kind will have you wishing that your teeth were whiter and brighter. For help quitting, talk to your doctor or dentist about the resources available to help. Whenever possible, quench your thirst with still water or a calming herbal tea. Your body and your teeth will appreciate it!
Step 3 – Brushing
Brushing twice a day is nice but brushing after meals is even nicer! Brushing your teeth neutralizes acids in the mouth that can wear away at the enamel – and it sweeps away food debris and plaque that could contribute to decay and acid production. Want to keep bad breath at bay? This is a great place to start.
Step 4 – Flossing
Far too many people think that flossing is an added bonus to the oral hygiene regimen they follow, and not a daily necessity. The truth about it is that your toothbrush can only clean about 60% of your tooth surface area because the other 40% is between the teeth where bristles can’t reach. To skip flossing is to risk cavity formation between the teeth. Don’t believe us? You might if you caught a whiff of the odour of your floss after being through teeth that have accumulated plaque and food debris between them. Yuck! We won’t blame you for just taking our word for it.
Step 5 – Checkups and Cleaning
Even if you are doing everything on the list to this point, you simply cannot overlook professional checkups and cleaning if you want the best for your teeth. Even when everything looks and feels healthy, the reality is that not even your dentist can tell what’s going on under the surface of your teeth and gums. That’s why you need a dental team and all the bells and whistles on your side!
Beginning your annual or semi-annual checkup exam involves updating your patient information first. That means if you’ve had changes in your medical profile such as new diagnoses, or the addition or elimination of medication, your dentist will want to know. Those with complicated medical profiles may find it helpful to bring a list of their medications with them to their appointment.
You may not be having a procedure done that day, but updating your medical chart is important so that if you end up at the dentist’s for an emergency procedure your dentist can make the right decisions about what medications can be offered to you with no risk of adverse interaction with the meds you’re already on.
Dental Services
About FDH Rabbit Dental
Learn more about FDH Rabbit Hill Dental and our dedicated team here! All services performed by a general dentist.
Give Us A Call
We Look Forward To Hearing From You. Give Us A Call With Any Questions Or To Book An Appointment.
Your dentist will start with a visual review of each of your teeth, checking for any abnormalities such as decay, gum recession, oral cancer indications, uneven wear or bite alignment issues. Once the visual portion is completed, your dentist will move on to the next part of the visit – remember those bells and whistles?
Your dentist will use a special light that is intended to allow the underlayers of tissue to be made visible. This can reveal early signs of oral cancers that are not yet visible on the surface. Next, a digital X-ray will be taken to offer a view of what’s happening under the gums and between the teeth, including roots and jawbone.
Your checkup will conclude with a review of the findings and discussions about what can be done to correct any issues if they were identified before the professional cleaning begins.
Your dental hygienist will complete your cleaning, which starts with scaling. Scaling is what is required to remove tartar from the teeth and is an important reason to see a dentist. Tartar is irritating to the tissues and the teeth and can make the teeth appear discoloured and stained. Only a professional should attempt to remove tartar – your toothbrush doesn’t stand a chance.
After scaling, teeth will be polished and flossed before having a fluoride treatment to keep the enamel strong and resilient until your next visit. Congratulations! You’ve given your oral health the five-star treatment!
If you have questions about these or other services offered by our general dentist, contact our clinic today!
