Dental Cleanings & Exams Jacksonville, NC

No one is trained to spot dental concerns better than your general dentist at Family Comprehensive & Cosmetic Dentistry, and you will never be able to clean your teeth as well as our dental hygienists can. No matter how diligent you are, you simply don’t have the tools and knowledge about the structures of the mouth like our hygienists do. We want you to sit back, relax, and let your highly trained dental team do their work to keep your pearly whites, mouth, teeth, and gums healthy.

You will have a dental exam after your Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH) cleans your teeth. We typically take X-rays only once yearly unless any problems arise that need to be addressed. X-rays allow us to see your tooth’s structure to look for cavities, impacted teeth, infections, cracked teeth, and other dental problems that must be fixed. Our amazing digital X-ray technology allows Dr. Covert, Dr. Ambrose, and Dr. Saunders to see a vibrant picture of your oral health. We like sharing our findings with our patients and educating you about what we see and what problems there are, if any.

In addition to taking X-rays, our dentists will also complete a physical inspection of your mouth. They will examine your gums to check for symptoms of gum disease, such as inflammation, receding gums, bleeding gums, odd sores in the mouth, or any other anomalies.

Oral cancer screening is integral to your dental exam; when caught early, oral cancer is treatable. Even young people can develop mouth cancer, so it’s absolutely imperative to see a Jacksonville general dentist every six months. It is a common misconception that oral cancer affects only older adults.

Advanced dental treatments can be costly, and you may learn that dental insurance does not cover some procedures, even ones necessary to save your teeth or gums. We cannot emphasize enough the importance of keeping your appointments for twice-yearly dental cleanings and exams at Family Comprehensive & Cosmetic Dentistry. Our amazing dental team will ensure you schedule your next appointment before you leave the office. If any dental treatments like fillings, extractions, or cosmetic dentistry are required, we will also schedule those.

First, the dental hygienist examines the inside of your mouth using a small mirror. If they detect obvious issues, they’ll pass that information on to your dentist. If they find something serious, they may pause the cleaning entirely.

Brushing and flossing your teeth at home is an excellent way to remove dental plaque; however, it can be difficult to reach plaque hiding between teeth and along the gum line. Also, only a dental professional can remove plaque that has hardened into tartar.

A professional teeth cleaning is much more thorough than what you can do at home with a toothbrush and dental floss; your hygienist can use a special tool called a scaler to remove plaque and tartar gently.

Next, we use gritty tooth polish and a special high-powered brush to polish your teeth. As the last step, the dental hygienist will floss your teeth to remove any plaque that could still exist between teeth. Flossing also lets your dental hygienist know where gum bleeding is occurring.

Next, your dental hygienist will squirt water into your mouth and ask you to swish. We then use suction to remove the water and rinsing also helps remove any residual tooth polish.

Once you’re done with your professional teeth cleaning, our dentist will come in for the final checkup. If no oral health maintenance issues are noted, you’ll be ready to go until your next appointment.

There are numerous benefits to oral health maintenance at your dentist’s office:

• Your teeth will feel smooth and clean, and your mouth will feel fresh.
• Good oral health lowers your risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.
• Healthy teeth and gums will positively affect your emotional health and well-being.
• You will lower your risk of cavities, tooth decay, and gum disease.
• You will save money because twice-yearly exams allow our dentists to detect problems early; delaying treatment due to missed appointments may result in more costly dental treatments being necessary.

Regular dental cleanings are essential to oral health, but the benefits go far beyond a dazzling smile. Not only do regular dental cleanings help prevent tooth decay and gum disease, but they can also help reduce inflammation in the body and even improve overall cardiovascular health. With so many benefits to coming in every six months, we hope it’s clear that these one-hour appointments should be an essential part of your healthcare routine.

If you’re looking for a Jacksonville, NC, general dentist, please look no further than Family Comprehensive & Cosmetic Dentistry on Dolphin Drive. Our dentists and support team are compassionate, professional, and patient, and we look forward to meeting you in person at our office. Please call us to schedule an appointment (910) 353-5171, or you may fill out our online contact form. One of our team members will reach out to assist you.