Regular Dental Checkups

• 14th April, 2015

Regular Dental Checkups

Why the Regular Dental checkup is important and how you can avoid more complex & costly dental treatments?

Regular dental check-ups are important in detecting any oral disease such as gum disease and decay/cavities. This helps to  detect early disease and prevent further progression of the disease.
At Smile Point, the dentists usually perform a check-up while doing a clean.

How does tooth decay form?

The bacteria in plaque produce acid which eats away at the tooth structure producing a cavity.

How will I know if I have a cavity?

This may sound a  bit surprising to most people, but a large majority of cavities are completely painless. This is because the outer enamel has no nerves, so only when the cavity enters the underlying dentin, then the cavity may begin to feel sensitive.

The most common symptoms are an increased sensation to cold, sweet foods or beverages. A cavity is often responsible for a tooth that breaks. The cavity weakens the tooth, especially when it forms under a filling or a tooth cusp, and can easily cause a fracture when biting down.

Patients are sometimes taken off guard when they learn that they have a few cavities but they don’t have any symptoms. It is far better to treat a small cavity than to wait until they have symptoms, such as pain. By the time there are symptoms, the cavity may have spread to infect the dental pulp, necessitating a root canal procedure or an extraction to eliminate the infection.

Regular dental exams, at least twice a year, will greatly reduce the likelihood that a dental cavity will go undetected and spread, causing pain and infecting the dental pulp.

How do dentists detect cavities?

Cavities are detected a number of ways. The  most common are clinical (visual & tactile) and radiographic (X-ray) examinations.

Teeth that are discolored (usually brown or black) can sometimes indicate a dental cavity.

Dental X-rays are very useful in finding cavities that are wedged between the teeth or under the gum line. These “hidden” cavities are difficult or impossible to detect visually or with the explorer.

Who has a higher risk for developing cavities?

People who have reduced saliva flow due to diseases such as Sjogren Syndrome; dysfunction of their salivary glands; have undergone cancer chemotherapy or radiation; and who smoke are more likely to develop cavities. Saliva is important in fighting cavities because it can rinse away plaque and food debris and help neutralize acid.

People who have limited manual dexterity and have difficulty removing plaque from their teeth may also have a higher risk of forming cavities. Some people have naturally lower oral pH, which makes them more likely to have cavities.

 

What can I do to prevent cavities? 

• Reducing the amount and frequency of eating sugary foods.
  If you are going to drink a can of sweetened soda, for instance, it is better to drink it in one sitting than sip it throughout the day. Better yet, drink it through a straw in one sitting, to bypass the teeth altogether. Going to the dentist at least twice a year is critical for examinations and professional cleanings.

 

• Using fluoride toothpaste and mouthrinses.
  Fluoride is a compound that is added to most tap water supplies, toothpastes and mouth rinses to reduce cavities. Fluoride becomes incorporated into our teeth as they develop and makes them more resistant to decay. After our teeth are formed, fluoride can reverse the progress of early cavities, and sometimes prevent the need for corrective dental treatment.
  If you are very susceptible to cavities, your dentist can perform high concentration, in-office fluoride treatments and/or prescribe a fluoride supplement, either as a gel, tablets or drops. In some cases, customized trays can be used while you sleep, to deliver higher doses of fluoride and help strengthen teeth to prevent cavities.

 

• Fissure sealants
  A sealant is a white resin material that blankets the tooth, protecting the vulnerable pits and fissures of the tooth, hence helping to reduce cavities from forming. Sealants are routinely placed on children’s teeth to prevent cavities on their newly developing molars. The use of sealants is also a cost-effective way to reduce the incidence of cavities in adults as well. However, sealants usually cannot be used on teeth that already have fillings.

 

• Stimulation of saliva production
  People who have dry mouth are at risk for developing cavities, and can have their dentist prescribe artificial saliva and mouth  moisturizers, as well as chewing sugarless gum to stimulate saliva production.

 

• Have a healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables 

 

• Have regular dental check-ups