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Checkups and Cleanings – Carrollton, TX

Keeping Your Smile Beautiful and Healthy

Brushing and flossing every day go a long way in keeping your smile beautiful and healthy by preventing cavities and gum disease, but unfortunately, it’s still not enough. You need to see a Carrollton dentist regularly for checkups and cleanings. Dr. Durga enjoys having the opportunity to make sure your smile is healthy by giving you a thorough examination, and then having a hygienist give your teeth a professional-grade cleaning. If it has been more than six months since your last dental appointment, contact us today to schedule one. Your teeth will thank you!  

What Happens During a Typical Checkup and Cleaning?

woman smiling in dental chair

Regular dental appointments have two parts. The first is the checkup, wherein Dr. Durga will perform a complete evaluation of your teeth and gums. Even if you yourself haven’t noticed any signs of tooth decay or gum disease, these oral health problems can often develop long before they display symptoms. If they’re found early on, they become significantly easier to treat.

After your checkup is complete, one of our skilled dental hygienists will give your teeth a professional cleaning. They can use special tools to remove built-up plaque and its hardened form, tartar, from your teeth and gums. Tartar can’t be gotten rid of on your own and requires special dental skills. Afterwards, your teeth are polished to make them shine a little brighter.

How Often Do I Need to Visit the Dentist?

man smiling with dental hygienist

For most people, we recommend seeing us for a checkup and cleaning twice a year, or once every six months. If, however, you have poor oral health, you might need to visit us more often than that. Other reasons for seeing us more frequently might include:

  • Pregnancy, which increases the risk of gum disease
  • Cancer treatment
  • Tobacco use
  • Certain health conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS

If you have one of these conditions and aren’t sure how often you should come in for an appointment, Dr. Durga can evaluate your oral health and determine the answer to that questions.

Why Are Checkups and Cleanings So Important?

patient and doctor looking at x-ray

We definitely encourage you to be proactive in preventing cavities by brushing and flossing every day, but oftentimes it’s simply not enough. There are a lot of areas in your mouth that you need to keep clean, and it’s easy to miss some. Back teeth in particular (also known as molars) are prone to developing cavities since we often have a hard time reaching to brush them. In this case, plaque may harden into tartar, and then you can’t treat that problem on your own.

Going to the dentist every six months can also end up saving you money in the long run. For example, you could get a small cavity diagnosed and treated right away. If you waited longer by not getting an appointment, that cavity could worsen and turn into a root canal or even a tooth extraction, both of which are significantly more costly procedures than a filling. Regular preventive visits with Dr. Durga will help not only your mouth, but your wallet as well.