It’s crucial that you include regular visits to the dentist in your dental hygiene routine to keep your teeth healthy. Dr. Shah at Hardy Oak Family Dentistry carefully conducts exams and cleanings for routine checkups for patients who visit every six months. Along with toothbrushing and flossing, these services can help you keep your teeth for the rest of your life in San Antonio and Stone Oak, TX.
While you’re in the dental chair, our dentist near you will carefully examine all sides of your teeth for signs of decay, plaque, and tartar buildup. However, along with teeth, dentists also examine the mouth’s soft tissues for signs of other problems.
A dentist carefully checks the gums for signs of periodontitis. This gum disease can cause bleeding, gums receding from teeth, and forming pockets. Periodontitis can eventually cause teeth to loosen and fall out, as well as bone loss. The earlier Dr. Shah finds it; the better treatments will work to save your teeth and jawbone.
Our dentist at Hardy Oak Family Dentistry will also probe your mouth with gloved fingers. They are searching for hard lumps near the cheeks, lips, or around the tongue. They will also search your mouth for red or white lesions and ask questions about how your throat feels if you have issues swallowing, and check for lumps around your neck.
Oral cancer is curable when found early, so these screenings during routine exams and cleanings in San Antonio and Stone Oak, TX, can save lives.
Another vital part of dental exams is cleaning your teeth. If it’s been a while since you’ve been to a dentist for a routine checkup, then you may have plaque and tartar buildup that needs elimination. While brushing your teeth every day can get rid of plaque, once it hardens onto teeth and forms tartar, it cannot be brushed away.
However, at Hardy Oak Family Dentistry, Dr. Shah has the tools to scrape it away and then clean your teeth so that they remain healthy and strong. If it has been some time since you’ve seen a dentist in San Antonio and Stone Oak, TX, for routine exams and cleanings, make an appointment with our dentist to have it done as soon as you can.