Missing a few dental appointments may not seem like a big deal, especially if you have always enjoyed relatively good dental health in the past. Missing even one or two dental appointments, however, can quickly turn your good oral health into bad by allowing serious dental conditions such as periodontal disease, infection, or significant decay to develop unchecked.
Our healthy dental patients enjoy good oral health because of their efforts to take prevention seriously. When you keep up with your regular dental exams and dental cleanings, Dr. Scott Jordon has the opportunity to monitor even the most subtle changes in your oral health. This allows him to identify dental conditions early. This process of early detection could mean the difference between a small filling or a root canal and a crown. That is a significant difference in treatment time, financial investment, and the significance of your treatment.
Some things you can expect during a regular dental exam include:
- Visual inspection of teeth, gums, and jaw
- Dental x-rays
- Oral cancer screening
- Periodontal evaluation
Dr. Jordon will alert you to anything that he thinks requires your attention.
Your dental cleaning is also an essential part of good oral health. Plaque begins to form shortly after you brush your teeth or finish a meal. If plaque is allowed to stay on your teeth, it will harden into tartar, which brushing and flossing cannot remove.
Tartar is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria, which can irritate your gum tissue, causing gum disease. Even if you brush and floss as recommended, it is impossible for you to reach every area of your teeth with a toothbrush and floss alone.
A dental cleaning gives your hygienist a chance to remove the tartar that collects between appointments. Missing dental cleanings allows tartar to build, creates irritation, and may even require a special periodontal cleaning to remove it.
Staying on track with your regular dental exams and cleanings is one of the best ways to protect the health, comfort, and appearance of your smile.
If it is time for your next dental exam or cleaning, contact our Encinitas dental office. We welcome new patients and will never make you feel guilty for missing some dental appointments. We will help you get back on track.