Understanding your Dental Check Up

What dentists look for during your twice yearly visit.

Ensuring that you attend your twice yearly check ups at your local dentist plays a major role in keeping your teeth and gums in good shape. Indeed, with many reports linking oral health with heart health, it may be more than your teeth and gums that benefit.

Have you ever wondered though, what dentists are actually looking for when they examine your mouth?

If so, hopefully this blog will help you.

Warning signs

Though we all hope that we will leave the dentist with a clean bill of health, detecting a minor issue need not be a cause of major concern. In fact, by spotting problems in their early stages, only minor treatment may be needed. Indeed, in the case of some dental issues such as gum disease, early stage detection can often lead to the problem being reversed simply through better oral health care.

At Mike Allen’s Burton Dental Practice, we also ensure that x-rays are taken from time to time to enable us to check any potential issues that are not visible to the naked eye. This is especially relevant for problems that arise inside the tooth, such as root canal infection.

Essentially though, there are five key things that our dentists will look for during your check up at our Burton Upon Trent dental practice:

Decay

The most common of all dental problems. Provided that this is detected early on, a small filling may be all that is necessary. This can even be done using a tooth coloured filling which leaves the tooth looking entirely natural. Where check ups have been neglected and the decay has become more advanced, necessitating the removal of a large part of the tooth, a crown may be used to restore and strengthen the tooth.

Gum disease

As the leading cause of tooth loss in the UK, gum disease is especially on our radar. Early detection is key here and, if caught early enough, improvements in brushing and flossing may be all that is needed to reverse it. A simple scale and polish may also be needed to remove the hardened plaque where necessary.

Oral Cancer

Oral cancers are on the increase and dentists are in a good position to spot possible signs of oral cancer. If we do, you will be referred to your GP for further examination.

Teeth grinding

Teeth grinding or bruxism, is on the rise in our stressful society. This can cause damage to our teeth and we can offer advice and help in repairing any teeth that have been damaged by grinding.

Overcrowding

When the mouth is overcrowded, teeth will start to become crooked and uneven. Not only is this unattractive but can also cause an incorrect bite which may lead to further problems. As experienced cosmetic dentists, we are able to offer a wide selection of orthodontics that can help to correct this issue.

If you have not had a dental check up for some time, why not call Mike Allen’s Dental Practice to arrange one, on 01283 845345?