Brushing and flossing at home are crucial, but they aren’t enough to keep your smile healthy long-term. These habits will often overlook things that cause problems if they go unaddressed. With that said, dental checkups and cleanings with our dentist in San Antonio can pick up the slack. These visits catch and treat your smile’s minor issues, ensuring worse ones don’t occur. Please keep reading or book a consultation to learn more about them!
Regular dental visits are essential for your smile; you should attend them (at least) every six months. If you skip the sessions, you’ll put your grin at great risk.
Note that dental checkups and cleanings prevent big oral problems. Since they let Dr. Brice check and clean your mouth, the visits keep your grin from gathering too much plaque and tartar. Going without them would thus make cavities, gum disease, and worse conditions more likely. From there, you’d suffer dental emergencies and other health dilemmas.
Regular dental checkups also save you a lot of time and money. Each one only takes an hour and allows full coverage from dental insurance, so skipping a visit just isn’t worthwhile. Not showing up would make you pay for a costly and time-consuming treatment (root canals, tooth extractions, etc.) later.
During a checkup at Brice Dental, you should expect the following:
Since brushing and flossing can’t protect your whole mouth, we clean teeth after each checkup. These cleanings feature:
A regular dental exam is completed by Dr. Brice and involves an oral cancer screening and a visual examination of your teeth, gums, tongue, and other oral tissues. He also examines your teeth for signs of decay, bite problems, and other concerns. They will look at your existing dental work, including dental crowns, bridges, and dentures. Typically, the exam portion of your checkup will usually take between 10 and 15 minutes.
If you don’t have gum disease or any signs of gum disease, and you go to the dentist every six months, you will likely only require a dental cleaning. For those with good, at-home dental hygiene, your cleaning should only take about 30 minutes. If you require a deeper cleaning due to tartar buildup, this might take longer or even require multiple visits since it is a multi-step process. The length of your dental cleaning will ultimately depend on your oral health status.
During each of your dental checkups, your dentist or hygienist will conduct an oral cancer screening. This should only take a few minutes, and we can help to identify any signs of abnormalities and ensure that you receive follow-up care or testing if needed. First, Dr. Brice or your hygienist will feel the outside of your face, including your neck and jaw area for signs of lumps or bumps. They will also feel the inside of your lips and look in your mouth for abnormalities, like red and white rough patches and oral sores that haven’t healed in over two weeks. If we spot anything that could be a sign of oral cancer, we will refer you to a specialist for further testing.
Whether you haven’t had insurance, had a hectic schedule, or anxiety has held you back, the most difficult step is making the call to schedule your appointment. Just remember that it is one of the best things you can do for your oral health. If it has been a long time since your last visit, you can expect your cleaning and exam to take a little bit longer since there will be more tartar and plaque to remove. Dr. Brice will speak with you about any concerns that you have so they can be addressed. Don’t forget to schedule your next visit before you leave.