Exams And Cleanings

Q: Why Is It Important to Have an Annual Dental Check-up and Cleaning?

Visit your dentist to prevent diseases: By going to the dentist, he can check your gums and determine if you have any illnesses. Believe it or not, oral problems increase the risk of many of them, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes, and obesity. Are you wondering how? Let's say you have cavities. This decay is caused by a bacteria that, when not treated, can eat through your teeth and even sneak into your bloodstream, affecting the most random areas of your body. your dentist for good hygiene: Your dentist can tell if you have good oral hygiene or if you need just a little help to keep it up. Your dentist will also show you more effective brushing techniques, and will also talk to you about other things that you should do to complement your daily oral care routine, like flossing and rinsing with mouthwash. Remember: Professional cleanings are required to keep your teeth and gums healthy. Visit your dentist to be safe and for the sake of your wallet: By scheduling an annual checkup and cleaning, you will be preventing more aggressive dental interventions, and therefore saving a relevant amount of money, as checkups and cleanings are considerably cheaper than more complex dental procedures such as gum disease treatment and oral surgeries.

Professional Cleanings:

Professional cleanings (dental prophylaxis) performed by a dentist or certified dental hygienist form the foundation for preventing gum disease and tooth decay. In a professional cleaning, your dentist/hygienist will:

Remove plaque from the teeth -- Plaque is a sticky substance that forms in the mouth from food, saliva, and bacteria. Plaque sticks to teeth and causes tooth decay, gum disease, and bad breath.
Remove calculus (tartar) above the gum line -- Calculus is the plaque that has hardened on the tooth surface and is difficult to remove. (Calculus below the gum line indicates gum disease and requires a different procedure to remove it.)
Polish and remove stains from teeth

Dental Examinations:

Dental examinations help to diagnose diseases before they become hazardous to your health. In addition, regular examinations can save you money and time by alleviating problems while they are small and before they become expensive to repair, or in some cases, impossible to repair. At Prestige Dental, Dr. Bouzoghlanian and staff recognize the importance of comprehensive examinations.

Your dental examinations generally will include the following:

Oral cancer screening
Gum disease evaluation
Visual examination of tooth decay
Evaluation of condition of current restorations (fillings and others)
Evaluation of bite and temporomandibular joint (TMJ)
Cosmetic evaluation
Evaluation for snoring, sleep apnea, tooth grinding (bruxism), and other conditions
Examination of diagnostic x-rays*

*to see cysts, tumors, hidden decay and other problems that can’t be seen by the naked eye

We cannot express enough how important it is to see your Pasadena dentist regularly. Remember, preventing disease is always better than treating disease.