Cleanings & Exams
Owasso, OK
Taking care of your mouth is crucial for keeping your teeth, gums, and your whole body healthy. Your oral care begins at home. To maintain optimal oral health, it is recommended that you brush your teeth at least twice a day and floss at least once daily. While these habits are essential, there are some areas of your mouth that can go untouched, leaving you vulnerable to issues such as cavities and gum disease. Moreover, many oral health issues do not exhibit symptoms in the early stages. In addition to your oral care routine at home, Jillian Prather Family Dentistry can help you to further protect the health of your mouth with professional cleanings and exams.
Professional CleaningsWhile brushing and flossing are essential for removing plaque, bacteria, and other debris from your teeth, and your mouth, it is possible for some areas of your mouth to be missed, or not cleaned as well as others. Even if you brush and floss every day, you may still be faced with cavities and gum disease. To further help prevent oral health issues from developing, it is recommended that you have your teeth professionally cleaned at least twice a year. These cleanings are performed to eliminate all buildup, including plaque that has turned into tartar, from all surfaces of your teeth, including those that you might overlook in your daily oral care routine.
Your cleaning starts with a thorough scraping of your teeth. Using a specialized tool, we clean every visible surface of your teeth, between them, and along and just below the gum line. Next, we polish your teeth. This is done using an electric hand piece and a special polish that contains abrasives. The polish scrubs the surfaces of your teeth as the head of the hand piece rotates, effectively cleaning them. Polishing also helps to get rid of surface stains, which helps to provide you with a brighter smile following your visit. Finally, we floss your teeth, removing plaque and bacteria you may have missed as well as loose debris and polish that may have found their way between your teeth during your cleaning. If necessary, we can also provide you with a fluoride treatment.
Dental ExamsEven with the best oral hygiene practices possible, sometimes oral health issues just arise. The problem, however, is that many dental issues do not exhibit any noticeable symptoms in the early stages. As a result, they can go unnoticed for quite some time. By the time symptoms begin to appear, the issue has developed into something more serious and requires more invasive, expensive treatments.
Dental exams are recommended twice a year and are generally done in the same appointment as your cleanings. These exams are performed to spot the early symptoms of issues before you even notice anything is wrong. By spotting issues early, we can take the necessary measures to stop their development in their tracks, restoring your oral health before serious complications from happening. We visually inspect your teeth for signs of physical damage and decay. We look over your gums for signs of redness, swelling, gum recession, and periodontal pockets that are too deep. We also look over your oral tissues to look for any abnormalities that might point toward oral cancer. Some of your exams may also include dental X-rays, which allow us to see the roots of your teeth and your jawbone. We can check for damage between the teeth, damage to the tooth roots, bone damage, infections, bone loss, impacted teeth, and much more.
While brushing and flossing are incredibly important, they are only a part of the equation. If it is time for you to schedule your next cleaning and exam, call Jillian Prather Family Dentistry at (918) 401-9933 today. |
