Preventive Dental Care An Overview
At Levesque Dentistry in Nashua, NH, you can expect the highest level of care and advanced treatment options. To ensure that you maintain great oral health, we recommend that you visit with us at least twice a year. If you have gum disease, it may be recommended that you visit the dentist three or more times a year to maintain optimal dental health and avoid permanent damage.
Importance of Oral Health
Dental health plays a key role in your daily quality of life as well as your physical well being. Your teeth are not the only important part of your mouth. Your gums are essential to oral hygiene as well, supporting tooth structure and serving as a barrier for harmful bacteria to keep it from entering the bloodstream. Gum disease has been linked to an increased risk for other health concerns such as diabetes, heart disease and tooth loss.
Preventive Dental Care What to Expect
During preventive care visits, Dr. Vogel and Dr. Levesque perform a thorough dental exam. Together with our team, we will clean your teeth and screen for a range of dental and health related concerns. Spotting a developing problem early is ideal for prompt and effective resolution and avoiding complex problems later on.
Oral Cancer Screenings
Oral cancer screenings are a very important part of the dental visit for the patient. With the advances in modern technology, we are now able to pinpoint the start of a potential problem much earlier in its evolution. The ability to do so is extremely important in being able to treat any issues prior to them becoming a major irreversible problem.
The oral cancer screening is often completed with an ultraviolet light or similar device that allows us to view issues that can’t always be detected by the human eye under normal conditions.
Certain lifestyle choices can have a great impact on the health of tissues and your overall health in the mouth. If you are a smoker or heavy drinker, make sure to get regular screenings when you visit the dentist.
Periodontal Screening
We look for the early signs of gum disease, including irritated or bleeding gums. Often there is plaque and tartar that accumulates below the gum line. In this scenario, we will clean and smooth this area with special instruments to ensure that the area is completely spotless. If this area is not kept clean the entire area can become irritated with the bacteria that resides in the tartar and plaque. It’s very important to have your dentist check this area if you have bleeding during brushing.
Cavity Detection
Treating tooth decay as early as possible is paramount for avoiding damage that significantly compromises the long term integrity of the tooth. Tooth decay affects both children and adults and is a primary reason for visiting with us twice a year, providing the opportunity to address developing cavities before they become a big problem.
Personalized Oral Hygiene
One of the most important parts of your routine dental visit is the conversation you have with your hygienist, who will discuss your oral and lifestyle habits. Learning about your unique risk factors for dental problems allows us to provide individualized care and advice for maintaining a healthy smile between visits.
