Maintaining a clean and healthy smile has numerous physical health benefits. Routine dental cleanings help prevent tooth decay and gum disease and allow Dr. Conover and our dental care team to identify problems in their earliest stages.
Professional dental cleaning is an important part of routine preventive care. In our Philadelphia dental office, dental cleaning goes way beyond the standard and plays a huge role in the longevity of your smile. Our hygienists carefully remove plaque from those hard-to-reach spots and ensure the teeth are clean and healthy along the gum line.
Following ADA guidelines, Dr. Conover recommends that patients visit our Philadelphia dentist office for a routine dental care exam every six months. Hygiene visits with us include a comprehensive dental exam and consultation with the dentist. Preventive dental care is a general dentistry service we provide to new and existing patients in Philadelphia, PA.
Our hygiene visits include:
- Professional dental cleaning
- Dental x-rays
- Periodontal screening and charting
- Dental caries (cavities) screening
- Occlusal analysis to examine the position of the bite
- Oral cancer screening
What are the different types of teeth?
There are four types of teeth: incisors, canines, premolars, and molars. Most people have 32 permanent adult teeth, which are categorized below.
- Incisors: These are the eight front teeth we use to cut food.
- Canines (cuspids): These are the four teeth on the sides of our mouth that we use for tearing meat and crunching hard foods.
- Premolars (bicuspids): These are the eight teeth between our canines and molars.
- Molars: These are the last 12 teeth at the back of our mouth that we use to grind food down into a paste before swallowing it. Your third molars are “wisdom teeth”.
Preventing Tooth Decay
It is our goal to help you maintain or improve your oral health. Our dentist in Philadelphia, PA uses the latest breakthrough in decay detection. Diagnodent laser technology detects decay at its earliest stage before it destroys more tooth structures.
Cavities often hide along fissure lines or inside biting surfaces. Microscopic defects in the tooth’s hard surface can allow decay to spread rapidly into the softer tooth structure beneath the surface. Diagnosing with Diagnodent helps us treat the disease before it spreads, making treatment easier and more comfortable for you.
If we detect a cavity, we offer tooth-colored dental composites to restore beauty and strength to the tooth. It is important to treat your tooth cavity as soon as possible. If you ignore it, it will spread and may require much more intense treatment, such as root canal therapy.
Preventing Gum Disease
Periodontal disease, like many diseases, may not be obvious without testing. Your doctor must measure and evaluate your high blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. We screen for signs of periodontal disease on every visit, but we perform a comprehensive perio charting (CPC) every few years.
During this in-depth exam, we take measurements to assess the depth and health of your gum pockets and each tooth. Normal gum pocket depth is 1-3 millimeters. Deeper pocketing, especially with bleeding, is a sign of disease and may indicate additional treatments.
In addition to pocket depths, we look for tooth mobility and gum recession. During this process, we collect data into our electronic patient record system and compare it to prior examination results to determine whether your periodontal health is improving, maintaining, or worsening.
This information, in conjunction with a review of your most recent x-rays, gives Dr. Doray a more accurate assessment of your bone levels. Often, small changes happen over time with periodontal disease. If identified early, you can more easily manage periodontal disease, and the prognosis for your teeth is much better.
Dr. Conover offers several treatments for gum disease. We will determine the best treatment for your specific gum disease symptoms and stage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Dental hygiene is essential to keeping your mouth healthy. Read the answers to these frequently asked questions to learn more.
Why is dental hygiene important?
Dental hygiene is very important for oral and overall health. Good oral hygiene reduces the risk of cavities, tooth decay, gum disease, and other oral health issues, which may impact overall health.
What are the consequences of ignoring dental hygiene?
Poor oral hygiene may result in excess plaque and bacteria in your mouth. Neglecting your oral hygiene may result in gum disease, cavities, tooth loss, and mouth pain.
What is the most important part of dental hygiene?
Water is one of your biggest helpers in oral hygiene. It keeps your mouth healthy and eliminates bad breath and bacteria. The abundance of oxygen in water makes it difficult for bacteria to sustain themselves.
What is decay in teeth?
Several factors contribute to cavity development, including germs in your mouth, eating and not brushing after, drinking sugary beverages, and poor oral hygiene.
How can I improve my oral hygiene routine?
Brushing and flossing your teeth three times a day for a minimum of two minutes can improve your oral hygiene routine. Replacing your toothbrush regularly will also help. If you don’t replace it frequently, your toothbrush can harvest bacteria that can transfer to your teeth. Limiting coffee and sugar intake will also help improve oral health and hygiene.
What color teeth are healthy?
The majority of healthy teeth have a yellowish tint. Although people commonly desire whiter teeth, healthy teeth may have a yellow color. The dentin consists of a thick yellow tissue in the tooth’s center, so your teeth may have a yellow tint.
How often should I floss?
According to the ADA (American Dental Association), you should brush your teeth twice daily and floss at least once daily. Regular flossing is great for oral hygiene.
Should you rinse with water after brushing your teeth?
After brushing your teeth, we recommend spitting out any remaining toothpaste. However, patients should wait a few minutes before rinsing with water. The concentrated fluoride in the toothpaste that promotes a clean mouth will wash away if you rinse your mouth too quickly after brushing.