Benefits of Teeth Cleanings and Oral Exams

The American Dental Association recommends people see our Bloomfield Hills dentist at Bloomfield Hills Dental Group for a teeth cleaning and a routine oral exam every six months.

A dental checkup can help protect your smile (and wallet) by catching oral health issues before they become a larger problem.

Depending on your oral health, your Wyoming dentist may recommend getting your teeth checked more often so you can maintain healthy teeth. In this blog post, we go over the five ways your teeth can benefit from a dental checkup.

Protect Overall Health

Did you know that your Bloomfield Hills dentist is able to detect the beginning signs of diabetes, heart disease, and other health conditions? This is because the health of your smile is connected to your overall health. For example, diabetes can lower your body’s resistance to infection, which puts you at higher risk for gum disease like gingivitis or even periodontitis.

Your dentist is also able to detect the early signs of oral cancer before it spreads to the rest of your body. Your survival rate for oral cancer increases when your dentist does routine oral cancer screenings.

Remove Dental Plaque and Tartar

Even with brushing and flossing, there can still be dental plaque hidden in between teeth and along the gum line. Thankfully, a dental hygienist is able to remove hidden plaque and even tartar so you can avoid cavities and gum disease. Tartar can only be removed by a dental professional, which is why it’s important to schedule a teeth cleaning every six months.

Care for Aging Teeth

Your family dentist can help you care for your teeth while you age. Just because you reach a certain age doesn’t mean you have to accept wearing dentures. Many people are able to keep their original teeth by seeing their dentist every six months for an oral exam and teeth cleaning.

It’s not uncommon for the nerves in our teeth to shrink as we get older. Unfortunately, this also means that we may not be able to detect the pain from a cavity as quickly as when we were younger. During your appointment, our Bloomfield Hills MI dentist will take x-rays of your smile so that small cavities can be treated as soon as possible.

Treat Cavities Sooner

Your dentist will be able to detect small cavities during your appointment so that you can maintain a healthy smile. During your appointment, a dental hygienist will be able to look at your teeth and gums and take dental x-rays.

If you have a toothache, be sure to schedule an appointment with your emergency dentist. A painful tooth could be a sign of a cavity or gum infection. Left untreated, the infection from a cavity can even enter the bloodstream.

Avoid Expensive Dental Treatments

Having a small cavity filled is less expensive than an emergency root canal or tooth extraction. If you wait until you are in a lot of pain before seeing the dentist, it may be too late to save the tooth. The dental restoration needed may also be more expensive than if you had just come in for a filling.

For example, CostHelper.com reports that a porcelain crown can cost anywhere between $800 and $3,000. A composite filling for a front tooth, on the other hand, costs about $155 according to FAIR Health. It’s important to remember that the cost of dental services depends on your region, dentist, insurance policy, and more.

Timothy Steimel DDS at Bloomfield Hills Dental Group of Bloomfield Hills is dedicated to helping patients maintain healthy beautiful smiles. If you are interested in setting up an appointment with our  dentist in Bloomfield Hills for a professional teeth cleaning or oral exam, give us a call at (248) 335-4427.