Regular dental care, according to a schedule provided by your Dunedin dentist, plays a significant part in your oral health. Likewise, your oral health plays a vital role in your overall wellness.
Let’s explore how regular dental care and excellent oral hygiene help maintain your smile's health and contribute to your overall well-being. We’ll also examine your role in achieving optimal oral health.
This blog includes information on:
- Regular Dental Care in Dunedin
- What's the Most Significant Difference between Brushing at Home and a Professional Teeth Clean?
- Preventing Disease and Conditions
- Gum Disease Treatment: What to Expect
- About Gingivitis and Gum Disease Treatment in Dunedin
Regular Dental Care in Dunedin
Regular dental care can mean seeing the dentist once or twice yearly for dental checks and dental cleans in Dunedin. If you have an oral health condition like periodontal disease, your dentist may further customise your teeth clean schedule.
- Regular dental checks allow us to diagnose oral conditions early. Typically, an early diagnosis means less time in the dental chair and less disruption to your life schedule.
- Regular visits to the dentist help us monitor oral health changes, such as gum recession or gingivitis. We also perform oral cancer screenings, which aid in early diagnosis.
- Your teeth cleans rid your dental enamel and gums of tartar. When not eradicated, plaque and tartar can lead to oral health conditions like tooth decay, root infections, and gum disease.
What's the Most Significant Difference between Brushing at Home and a Professional Teeth Clean?
Between checks and cleans, we encourage you to brush and floss regularly and contact your Dunedin dentist if you notice changes in your oral health, including sensitive teeth, sores that don’t heal, and other developments.
While brushing and flossing at least twice daily is essential, it cannot replace professional dental cleans. Only professional cleans can rid your teeth of stubborn and hard-to-reach tartar, the common culprit in preventable oral health conditions. Teeth cleans are also more effective in lifting tooth stains and preventing discolouration.
The common goals shared by you and your dentist are:
- Preventing cavities
- Preventing oral infections
- Preventing gum disease
- Removing surface stains
- Freshening breath
- Early detection of oral health issues
Think of your dental care as a collaboration! You take care of your smile between visits, and we look for oral health conditions, such as gum disease and tooth decay, during your exams.
Preventing Disease and Conditions
You may know that regular dental cleans help prevent oral health issues, but did you know they may also guard against body wellness complications?
By mitigating your risks for gum disease, you also protect your physical health. For example, gum disease has been linked in studies to the following:
- Specific types of dementia
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Pregnancy complications
- Heart and lung issues
About Gingivitis and Gum Disease Treatment in Dunedin
Gum disease starts as reversible gingivitis. Gum and ligament infections are isolated in the gingivitis stage and have not settled into the bone.
When gingivitis advances to periodontitis, it is treatable but no longer curable.
Gum disease alone (and the associated risks to your health) is one of the most critical reasons to see your dentist regularly for checks and cleans in Dunedin! We always want to catch gum disease in the gingivitis stage.
Gum Disease Treatment: What to Expect
Your dentist will determine how to best treat your gum disease based on exam findings and where you are in the disease.
Treatments may include, but are not limited to:
- Planing and Root Scaling — Planing and root scaling is a unique deep cleaning below the gumline. It helps shape the tooth roots, rids the gums of some periodontitis, and encourages them to adhere to the teeth again. Planing and scaling are more comprehensive than regular teeth cleaning.
- Custom At-Home Routine – We may recommend increasing your oral hygiene sessions at home or using specific products to clean your teeth better.
- Laser Dentistry – Your dentist may recommend laser dental surgery to enhance gum health. Laser dentistry is less invasive than traditional scalpel and suture surgeries.
Is It Time for Your Next Dental Check and Teeth Clean in Dunedin?
If it’s time for your next preventive visit or if you have questions for our team, we encourage you to call today.
