Dental Exams
Scripps Ranch

Dental Exam More Than a Check-up

One of the essential functions of your dental exam is a check-up, but that’s just the start.

A check-up is a great place to start for ensuring your continued oral health. During your exam, we will look carefully at your teeth to make sure they are healthy. We will look for visible discoloration or damage to your teeth that indicates the signs of early tooth decay. Laser decay detection helps us find decay that isn’t visible to the naked eye.
We will also look at your gums to make sure they are healthy, without signs of redness, bleeding, and inflammation.

We will combine this information with what we learned from your professional cleaning to make sure your oral hygiene routine is adequate. We might recommend changes as necessary, such as changes in technique or addition of extra steps such as mouthwash.

Why Professional Cleanings Matter

You clean your teeth at least twice a day, so why do you need a hygienist to clean your teeth every six months? It’s a very different kind of cleaning. The primary focus of professional cleanings is tartar removal.

What is tartar? Tartar is hard mineral deposits that form on your teeth over time, especially in areas you have difficulty cleaning. Tartar starts out as simple dental plaque–a combination of oral bacteria, the coating they excrete to protect themselves, and food residue. Your saliva contains minerals that are intended for your teeth–they help the body repair tooth enamel and resist decay. However, when plaque isn’t cleaned from your teeth quickly enough or if it isn’t cleaned thoroughly, the plaque can absorb minerals from your saliva, becoming a hard deposit called tartar or dental calculus.

Tartar can be very bad for your oral health because it shelters bacteria, allowing them to increase their numbers. It also creates microregions in your mouth where acid can become more concentrated, leading to more damage to teeth and gums. The longer tartar stays on your teeth, the more it increases your risk of tooth decay and gum disease.

Although oral hygiene is good at preventing tartar buildup, it’s not good at removing tartar. Even so-called tartar control toothpastes may not remove tartar. And they can be highly abrasive, which means they can remove more enamel than tartar.

Preventive Dental Treatments

Although many people can manage their oral health with oral hygiene, some people benefit from preventive dental treatments, which can be applied at your regular dental exam.

Fluoride Treatments

With a fluoride treatment, we apply fluoride directly to your tooth enamel, where it does the most good in strengthening and protecting your teeth. These treatments are especially valuable for people who are avoiding systemic fluoride from municipal or natural water sources.

Dental Sealants

All the nooks and crannies in your teeth can make them more effective for crushing and breaking foods. But they are also places where plaque and food residue can accumulate and decay can start. Dental sealants block these places to prevent cavities from developing there. In the past, these were mostly used for children, but they’re becoming increasingly popular for adults.

Are You Overdue for Your Dental Exam?

If you’re overdue for your next dental exam in Scripps Ranch, please call (858) 271-1010 today for an appointment with Dr. Ramin Goshtasbi at Oasis Dental Arts. We will help protect your oral and overall health.