Dental Checkups & Cleanings – Los Angeles, CA
Help Your Smile Get Stronger & Healthier
Left untended, even the healthiest mouth will suffer problems. A minor oral health issue could eventually become a major challenge. You could, for example, end up dealing with decay, cavities, gum disease, or worse. Dentists thus recommend that you get dental checkups and cleanings every six months. Fortunately, we at Rancho Park Dental Group are excellent with these services. You can count on us for a healthy, gleaming smile! Keep reading or book a consultation with our office to learn more.
Why Are Regular Dental Checkups & Cleanings Important?
However tempted you are, you shouldn’t skip out on routine dental visits. You’ll face long-term challenges if you do.
For starters, you need checkups and cleanings to avoid pain. After all, they prevent severe dental conditions from occurring. Without them, your plaque could evolve into a painful cavity. Alternatively, lack of care may cause an already-present cavity to require a root canal.
Furthermore, regular dental visits save you time and money. Insurance often covers twice-yearly preventive care, so you’d get smile protection quickly and cheaply. Restoration work, meanwhile, is invasive, time-consuming, and expensive. Insurance often won’t cover it, leading to high out-of-pocket expenses.
What to Expect During a Dental Checkup
At a standard dental checkup, you can expect the following to take place:
- Medical Update(s) – We’ll review your medical history and medications, as these things can impact oral health.
- An Oral Exam – After the updates, our team will perform an oral exam – an assessment of your teeth, bite, and existing dental work. They’ll also screen your mouth for oral cancer signs.
- Dental X-Rays – We may take X-rays of your smile depending on when you last received any. That way, we can see if you have problems beneath the dental surface.
- Treatment Plan – Our office will draft a treatment plan based on our findings. We’ll take special care to lay it out for you step-by-step.
- Q&A – To conclude the appointment, the dentist will answer any questions you have about treatment or at-home oral care.
What to Expect During a Dental Cleaning
Even if you’re a regular brusher and flosser, there’ll be places in your mouth you can’t reach. For that reason, a dentist will follow a dental checkup with a professional cleaning. The latter includes:
- General Cleaning – A dental hygienist will use special tools to remove plaque and tartar from your mouth. By doing so, they’ll reduce your risk of tooth decay, gum disease, and chronic bad breath.
- Polishing – Following the general cleaning, we’ll polish your pearly whites. This step tends to eliminate your minor tooth stains.
- Flossing – Our staff will also floss between your teeth to remove as much harmful bacteria as possible.
- Fluoride Treatment – If you’d like, you can receive fluoride treatment as the last cleaning step. For this option, the hygienist applies fluoride to your teeth, which protects them from cavities.