How Often Should You Visit the Dentist Each Year?

Many people wonder how often they should visit the dentist. The truth is that without regular dental exams or dental cleanings, your oral health and your overall health are compromised. At LANCO Dental Care in Lancaster, PA, we help reduce your risk of developing gum disease and tooth decay during regular dental visits. At our dental practice, we believe that to take care of your teeth, you need to visit our dental office at least twice a year. When things like gingivitis are left to advance to more serious stages of periodontal disease, they can lead to gum recession and even tooth loss.

Biannual dental cleanings allow our general dentist to remove plaque or tartar, and to polish your tooth enamel for a bright, white smile. Allow us to help you maintain your dental health with family dental care. For patients with existing gum disease or who wear braces, we recommend more frequent teeth cleanings.

What happens at a dental exam?

During a dental exam at LANCO Dental Care, we examine a patient’s jaw, neck, face, and lymph nodes. The rest of a dental exam includes:

• Examining the gums for signs of gum disease

• Checking for broken, chipped, cracked, or loose teeth

• Looking at the bite for any changes

• Examining the inside of the mouth and soft tissues for signs of oral cancer

• Detecting any damage to existing fillings or restorations

• Taking dental X-rays

At our Lancaster, PA office, we use these digital X-rays to get a thorough picture of your oral health. This allows us to diagnose problems that cannot be seen with the eye alone, such as tooth decay, abscesses, impacted teeth, or bone loss. When dental issues are addressed early on, you reduce the need for costly or more extensive procedures in the future. If we see a cavity, we will treat it before a teeth cleaning.

After your dental exam, a dental cleaning is performed by a dental hygienist. This is just as important as a dental exam since it keeps the teeth and gums clean and reduces your chance of developing tooth decay or gum disease.

What happens at a dental cleaning?

During a dental cleaning, we remove any tartar or plaque on the teeth. Some of our patients often wonder, why get teeth cleaned? Tartar cannot be removed from just brushing and flossing from your home. During your cleaning, our hygienist uses special tools to perform tooth scaling, which will break down these materials without hurting your teeth. After the teeth and gums are clean, your enamel is polished, which removes any stains.

Learn about the benefits of dental exams and dental cleanings

At LANCO Dental Care, we encourage our patients in Lancaster, PA to schedule regular dental exams and teeth cleanings for optimal oral health. This allows our professional dental team to diagnose and treat oral health problems early on before they become more serious. When you leave dental problems untreated, they can affect your overall health. While skipping a dental appointment may not seem important, oral health problems, such as gum disease, can develop and advance quickly. To schedule a dental exam or teeth cleaning, call our professional team today.